That Night At the Inn
by DeletedAccountNotChangingMind
Summary: That night at the inn changed everything. That demon threw everything in Inuyasha's life out of place. Nothing would ever be the same again. And he couldn't be happier.
1. Prologue

Hey, guys, it's me. As promised, I've been working on this idea for a while now and have finally decided to post it. I don't think it's going to be too terribly long, but then I've been wrong before. I hope you enjoy this, the prologue is a bit short but I don't give a crap, deal with it :D

Also, I've officially started my first story on fictionpress, it would make me so happy if you checked it out, just replace dot with a . and put it on your task bar to be taken right to chapter 1:

wwwdotfictionpressdotcom/s/3000460/1/Deep_Sea

And enjoy this fic here :D!

**That Night At the Inn**

**Prologue**

Inuyasha moaned in pain as the inky blackness of unconciouness faded away.

_What...What...Oh, kami!_

He was in such pain even his thoughts were stuttering!

What happened to him!

The last thing he remembered was...

_"INUYASHA!"_

"Ka...gome..." he said with all the strength he could as he struggled to sit up.

But it felt like all the muscles in his body were just refusing to listen to him. Or, rather, his own body weight was just too heavy to lift.

He gritted his teeth and forced his eyes open. He looked up, deffinately up, at a rough rock ceiling.

A...cave?

How did he get in a cave?

Groaning at the effort, he forced himself to sit up and look around.

"Kagome..." he repeated looking for her. Where was she?

He cried out and slapped a hand ot his chest as it felt like someone had just stabbed him through the heart. His chest was bare, where were his robes? Where was Tetsaiga? Where were Sango and Miroku?

And where the hell was Kagome!

He was panting, hard, from just the effort of sitting up.

"Gods above..." he whispered as he looked down at his chest. There was no blood, no wound, so why did it feel like he had just been pierced by a thousand swords? Then thrown bodily against a boulder?

He took a few sniffs of the air.

He smelled her.

Kagome's scent was all around him in this cave.

Was it different?

It didn't smell bad, it smelled very good but there was something different there, something he wasn't all that surprised to smell.

And if his thrice damned head stopped hurting he might remember what it was!

"Inuyasha!"

He turned and saw her running toward him, her eyes full of fear and worry.

"You're awake!" she threw what was in her arms, firewood?, away and threw them around his neck. "Thank goodness! I thought you might never wake up."

He smelled the salt of her tears but was far too tired to do anything about it. His body was just so heavy!

"Are you alright?" she leaned back and cupped his face in her hands as she searched his golden eyes. "I was so scared. Thank you. Thank you."

He noticed, a bit too slowly for his comfort, that she was wearing his fire rat robe. He saw the green and white of that uni-form thing she wore under it, it didn't appear damaged, so why was she wearing his robe?

"Wh..." he paused to groan at the effort. "What...happened...?"

"She came after us, Inuyasha." Kagome said, leaning back and wiping away her tears. "Just like he said she would."

With her sitting back, he could see the sheath of Tetsaiga at her waist, right where it would be had he been wearing it.

But Tetsaiga itself was absent.

Where was it?

"W-who...sh...she...?"

He felt his body give out, more specifically the elbow he was propped up on gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Don't push yourself!" Kagome chastised him gently as she rolled him onto his back again.

"My...head..." he groaned.

A second later, he felt his head being lifted then placed gently back on something soft and warm.

Kagome's lap.

"Sh." she smiled sadly. "Don't worry. We're both alright and you're awake now. Just let yourself heal."

Wanting desperately to find out what had happened, but his head hurting him too much to really do anything about it, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

He didn't actually fall asleep, but he did doze a bit.

Half formed memories, places and words that made no sense, flashed in and out of his mind.

_"...raped you!"_

_"Accept this..."_

_"I'm so h..."_

_A big, purple flower..._

_"...for you..."_

_"...there for the ni..."_

_An ink painting of a man..._

_"Inu...yasha!"_

_"...ever take it off!"_

_"..Keade's. You have to..."_

_The strange, magic stick..._

_"..itive..."_

_"I _do_ lo..."_

_"...leave you..."_

_"INUYASHA!"_

His eyes snapped open and he found himself looking up at Kagome's sleeping face. His head was still in her lap.

How long had he slept?

He sat up again, this time without so much effort, but his head still hurt like mad!

"What happened?" he asked as he turned and looked Kagome over. Her scent still wasn't the same but he didn't see any injuries on her.

Her eyes fluttered open then she jumped when she saw him up.

"Inuyasha! You're okay?" she asked, looking at him dead in the eye, trying to catch him lieing.

Inuyasha nodded once. "I'm better. Anyway. How long have I been asleep?"

"Two days." Kagome said at once.

"T-Two days!" he gasped.

"This time." Kagome frowned. "You woke up about two days ago, don't you remember?"

"I think so." he said wishing his head would stop aching. Though, he could admit, it wasn't as bad as it had been before. "And how long was I asleep before that?"

"Three days." she answered promptly. "Are you hungry?"

Inuyasha couldn't honestly say no but he wanted answers more than he wanted food.

"What happened?" he asked again.

"That woman came after us." Kagome said. "She hit us with everything she had."

"Who?" he asked.

Kagome titled her head in confusion. "Don't you remember?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "The last thing I remember is Miroku spotting that inn. After that...it's all just...flashes and..." he closed his eyes as he strained to remember.

"You don't remember anything after that?" Kagome asked, putting a hand to her abdomen. "Not a thing?"

"No." he shook his head. "My head...it hurts."

"Don't think too much." Kagome said, smiling sadly.

"Where are Sango and Miroku?" he asked.

"We left them behind when we headed toward's Keade's." Kagome said. "They said they would catch up with us soon. They've probably already reached the village."

"Will they be looking for us?" he asked, wondering if he could count on rescue.

Kagome shook her head. "We said we were going to my time. You said you didn't know when we would come back."

"That doesn't sound like me." he said, not when he had things like Naraku and Kikyo keeping him here. "Are you sure."

Kagome nodded.

"Where's Tetsaiga? And why are you wearing my robe?" he asked next.

Kagome looked a little confused, then felt tears welling up in her eyes. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"What's wrong?" he asked, why was she crying?

"Inuyasha we..." Kagome started to say then paused. "We...we..."

"We what?" he asked. Why was she acting so weird? She had been doing that same thing right up until she told him...

Told him...

Told him what?

What was it that he wasn't remembering!

"Don't you remember?" she asked pointlessly. "That night at the inn?"

"The inn?" Inuyasha said.

Those flowers, the sake, Miroku got drunk. Inuyasha barely drank anything but he got drunk too. Why did he...What happened that night that he...

The ink painting.

The naked man posing on it in the room.

The room that he...

That Kagome and he...

His demonic abilities, made that much stronger because Tetsaiga wasn't around to surpress them, were healing his body faster than Kagome or he could guess. And, at that moment, those superhuman healing powers he had connected a broken path in his brain.

Inuyasha gasped as the memories came flooding back.


	2. Drunk

I've officially started my first story on fictionpress, it would make me so happy if you checked it out, just replace dot with a . and put it on your task bar to be taken right to chapter 1:

wwwdotfictionpressdotcom/s/3000460/1/Deep_Sea

And enjoy this fic here :D!

**Drunk**

**A few weeks prior...**

"Hey, guys, look!" Shippo said energetically, pointing down to something on the other side of the hill that the rest of them were just reaching the top of.

"What is it?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha watched in disinterest.

"It's an inn." the kit jumped. "Can we stay there for the night. Huh? Can we?"

"It has been a while since we slept indoors." Kagome thought thinking of warm food and a comfortable bed.

Sango nodded in agreement as she stroked Kirara's fur. "Miroku, how much money do we have?"

The monk felt around inside his robes for a moment then said. "Just about nothing."

"Aw." Kagome pouted. "But I was really hoping we could stay there."

"Well, sorry for making you sleep outside so much." Inuyasha said, crossing his arms as they crested the hill and looked down.

The inn wasn't a part of a village, but instead was situated at a crossroads tempting weary travelers that would have to chose their direction.

"Wow. It's enormous." Sango said. "It looks more like a mansion than an inn."

Kagome agreed but the sign above the gate clearly marked it as an inn. "Maybe it was a mansion that was renovated." she suggested thinking they wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway.

The inn itself was identical to many mansions they had seen in their travels. There was a small creek that wound itself through the grounds with a bridge overlooking it and a couple on it, not bothering to hide the fact that they were clinging to each other like vines. The gardens around it had many sakura trees in full bloom and beautiful purple flower bushes grew everywhere.

"Oh, my." Sango blushed, spotting the couple. "Do they have no sense of desency?"

"I don't think they care." Kagome said blushing a bit as well.

Miroku was stroking his chin thoughtfully, looking down at the building.

"What you thinking about, Miroku?" Shippo asked, jumping up onto his shoulder.

"I sense a strange demonic presence about that mansion." the monk said seriously.

"Here we go again." Inuyasha rolled his eyes as Kagome smiled.

"Yay!" the modern girl celebrated. "One fake excersism and we get room and board for the night."

Miroku looked offended. "What do you mean 'fake' excersism? I'll have you know I've never performed a fake blessing in my life."

"I hope they have fish for dinner." Shippo told Sango.

Who nodded excitedly. "And maybe even a place to bathe."

"A nice bed, a warm meal." Kagome told Inuyasha, happy. "Doesn't that sound nice?"

Inuyasha had to admit, it did sound pretty good. "Alright. Let Miroku do his phony blessings and we'll stay there."

They started walking down the hill with Miroku grumbling about their lack of faith in him.

They let Miroku lead, Kagome trying not to look too enthusiastic, and the monk sighed as he approached.

"Hello?" he called out as they crossed the gate. "Inn keeper?"

"Yes?"

They jumped and turned as a man came out from the shadow of the gate wall, laughing at their fright.

Inuyasha chasticed himself for noticing the man sooner. But his nose was being overpowered by the smell of those purple flowers that littered the grounds. It wasn't a bad smell, but it was strong. That would be bad if he couldn't smell any danger.

"Sorry to frighten you." the inn keeper said. He was a very handsom man with striking features. It was the kind of face you didn't forget and with that welcoming smile it just made you want to gravitate towards him. "Would you travelers like a room?"

"Actually." Miroku stepped forward. "We were walking down the road when I sensed a demonic presence in your inn."

"Goodness." the man looked shocked. "Are you sure?"

Miroku nodded. "If you would just let me exercise it, we will be on our way. We expect no payment."

"Nonsense." the inn keeper waved his words away. "I must insist that you stay the night at least. And I'll provide food and sake free of charge."  
>"You are too kind." Miroku bowed respectfully as Kagome smiled in truimph.<p>

"Please, come this way." the inn keeper walked ahead of them. "I have many guests today so I would be thankful if you didn't frighten them."

"The blessing should be very quiet." Miroku assured him.

"And I see you have a child with you." the man said, smiling at Shippo. "We have a wonderful playroom for our younger guests. I do believe there are three others there right now if you wish to go play with them, little one."

"O-oh! Can I?" Shippo pleaded with Kagome.

"Sure." Kagome smiled. "Take Kirara with you so she can watch over things."

Kirara, who was very good with children, human and demon, hopped out of Sango's arms and walked over to Shippo who was excited at the thought of being able to play all night.

"The room is just over there." the inn keeper pointed to a building seperate from the rest of the inn where a grown woman sat, watching the children play. "I always have a member of the staff watching the kids." he assured the adults.

"Woo!" Shippo yelled as he ran towards the room, Kirara a step behind him

"Ah, to be young." the inn keeper smiled. "So, monk. Do you need anything to perform your blessing?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Aren't you glad we stopped here?" Kagome asked, smiling at Inuyasha.

The inn was a large central room where guests ate and drank and laughed together with all the rooms coming off of it. The inn keeper had put them there while he took Miroku to perform the blessing.

"My staff will prepare a room for you. Wait, eat, drink. I insist." he had said before taking Miroku away.

Inuyasha had already stuffed his face and Kagome had just put down her bowl as a servant came by, a bottle of sake and four bowls on a tray.

"The master said that this was for you, compliments of the hotel." she said placing it at their feet as she gathered their food trays. "Enjoy your drink."

"I don't drink." Inuyasha said as Sango, more out of curiosity than anything, lifted the bottle and took a sniff of the drink inside.

"Oh, wow. That smells heavenly." she said. "I don't think one small drink will hurt."

She poured a small amount into her cup and drank it down.

"Oh, my..." she said. "That...is delicious."

"Really?" Kagome asked, never having drunk sake before. She wasn't of legal age yet and traveling around in the past and fighting monsters all the time didn't leave her much free time to get up to anything bad.

"I'm glad you like it."

They turned when the inn keeper came back with Miroku. He was smiling.

"Please, drink." he insisted as Miroku sat beside Sango and, like magic, a servant girl appeared with a tray of food.

"That sake is a special blend of my own design. I take great pride in it. I really insist that you try at least a little bit."

The servant girl paused to pour the sake into the four glasses before standing up and returning to other duties.

All around them, the other guests were laughing and talking and drinking. In one corner was a man playing a _junanagan_ quite expertly and the air was filled with the tone of his instrument. It was all very light and festive.

"Please, drink." the inn keeper urged. "That sake is my pride and joy. Just one sip, please?"

Inuyasha sighed and, if only to shut him up, reached down and grabbed one. "Just one." he told the inn keeper sternly before drinking it down.

And it was delicious. He had never tasted anything quite like it. There was no sting of alcohol, just a smooth flavor that coated his tongue and warmed his belly. As Sango said, heavenly.

"Wow." he admitted. "That is good."

"See?" Sango said taking her cup and drinking it down again. "I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite like it."

"Oh?" Miroku, who was much more well versed in sake than the other two, took a drink as well. He paused, savored the flavor, and said. "Inuyasha. Do me a favor and stay sober because I do believe I'm going to end up drunk on this."

Kagome laughed as Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Go on, dear." the inn keeper said. "Take a drink."

"Oh, no thank you." Kagome smiled appologetically. "I don't drink."

The inn keeper looked a bit surprised at that. It was a look Kagome was used to. People in 16th century Japan just didn't not drink.

"Go on, Kagome." Sango urged already pouring herself and Miroku another glass. Then, as an afterthought, refilled Inuyasha's cup as well. "Just a taste."

Kagome fought against the peer pressure for a moment. But only for a moment.

"Just a sip, alright?" she said picking it up and sipping from it.

"Oh...oh my..." she said after downing the glass. "I'm pretty sure sake never tasted like that."

"You like it then?" the inn keeper, pleased, as Sango, who was already red faced and tispy, tried refilling her glass.

"Aw, we're out." she frowned.

"Then you must have another." he clapped his hands twice and a servant girl appeared and replaced the jug.

"Relax, I'll have someone escort you to your rooms when you're ready." he stood up and left the room, leaving everyone to laugh and dance and drink.

"Just one more." Kagome said as she drank it.

Inuyasha wouldn't have minded another one, it was a very good drink, but he knew better. If everyone ended up drunk they wouldn't be able to fight effectively. He had to stay sober to protect them.

But he still felt that one drink warm in his belly.

It didn't take long at all. As the sun set, Sango was laughing as Miroku gropped her completely consaquence free continuously. Kagome had given in again and drank one for glass and she was tipsy herself.  
>She had stood up at some point and was dancing to the instrument in the corner.<p>

Inuyasha just couldn't bring himself to mind that everyone was useless now. He was mesmorized by Kagome's slowly rotating hips and flushed face.

He didn't notice the room slowly emptying, he didn't notice Sango pass out and Miroku giggling as he poked her breasts.

Instead, he had stood up and was moving against Kagome as she moved against him. It was a sensual parody of pleasures that he knew were dancing just on the edge of his mind. His blood was hot and the soft curves under his hand were enticing.

But, before he could do anything, he was interrupted by the inn keeper.

"May I take you to your room now?" he asked pleasently.

"Sure." Kagome slurred as she leaned against Inuyasha. "Room take us...that way!"

"Follow me then, you two." he smiled as he turned and walked down one of the halls.

"Wow, Inuyasha." Kagome slurred. "You're really strong." Since she was far too gone, Inuyasha was half carrying her down the hall causeing her feet to drag a bit as she struggled to walk. The inn keeper didn't even seem to notice.

"You're really drunk." Inuyasha pointed out not really caring that the acohol had loosened him a bit, a lot, as well.

"I'm not as...think...drunk as I...you...am." Kagome struggled to get that backwards phrase from her time 'I'm not as think as you drunk I am' but it was too much for her. "Wow, the moon is so pretty."

"Yeah." Inuyasha agreed, not really looking at the moon.

"I'm kinda...dizzy." she said.

"Yeah..."

"Your room." the inn keeper stopped before a shouji screen. "Please, do feel free to make yourself at home." he bowed respectfully then walked away.

Inuyasha, after a moment of trying to remember how to do it, slid the door open and stumbled inside with Kagome.  
>They laughed together as he tripped over nothing and fell.<p>

The room was pretty simple as rooms go. The futon on the floor was a double with the cover pulled back, ready to be used. The only decoration was an ink painting on the wall of a naked man posing seductively. The artist had clearly not been shy about making him as realistic as possible.

"There's only one bed." Inuyasha pointed out as he dragged both himself and Kagome over to it. "You can have it Kogame."

"Did you just call me Kogame?" Kagome snickered.

"I did." he snorted as they started laughing harder. "Kogame, you can have the futon."

"No." Kagome shook her head. "It's a big one. We can um...we can...um...we...um..uh..."

"Share?"

"Yeah! That's it!" Kagome smiled victoriously. "We can share it. I shrust you."

"I shrust you too." Inuyasha said pulling her on top of it and rolled on it after her.

They laughed some more, not realizing they had rolled onto it sideways.

"You know what? You-you know...what?" Kagome said after a few seconds of laying there laughing.

"What?" Inuyasha sat up a bit.

"I lub you." Kagome smiled. "I lub you lots."

"Lub." Inuyasha repeated. "I like lub."

"Yeah." Kagome nodded. "I lub you this much!" Kagome threw her arms out at her side, stretching her fingers as far as they could go.

"That's a lot." Inuyasha remarked. "I-I don't think anyone can measure that it's so much."

"I know! Right!" Kagome rolled over and sat on him. "I feel...odd."

"Drunk." Inuyasha said. But he could smell her arousal on the air and it was affecting him.

"No. Hot." Kagome said. As if in reaction to her words, sweat started beading on her forehead. "I wanna take it off."

"Take what off?" Inuyasha slurred. He felt weird as well. He wanted to run his fingers up and down Kagome's body, which wasn't unusual. He desired the future girl and had had that urge many time. But never had he actually lifted his hands and start feeling her thighs and reaching under her skirt so his fingertips brushed those strange undergarments she wore.

Kagome, instead of answering, lifted her shirt over her head and threw it away. Her hips started squirming as she felt her desire flare up at her core in response to Inuyasha's touch.

"That's nice." she licked her lips as she started fondaling her own breasts. She wanted touch, she needed it.  
>Inuyasha, his brain fogged by that sake and lust, sliced through the sides of her panties and pulled them out form under her.<p>

"Skirt too." Kagome begged. "Skirt too!"

Inuyasha didn't need to be told twice, he obligingly ripped through them and tossed them aside.

Kagome's wiggling hips touched on his growing errection and her body knew instinctively that that was what she wanted.

She felt so free! She was sure that doing this would bring on consequences but she just couldn't think of them or bring herself to care at all. Everything felt so surreal and at the sime time she was hyper aware of every nerve ending in her body.

And every nerve ending in her body wanted Inuyasha. His body, his breath, his scent, his everything.

She leaned down over him and hovered her lips over his.

Inuyasha didn't let her tease him long, he grabbed the back of her neck and slammed her lips down on his as he rolled over and came on top of her.

"Clothes, clothes." Kagome said desperately as she tried ripping his fire rat robe off.

Inuyasha left her only only enough to do that for her then he was back, kissing her, running his tongue across hers in a slippery dance that they both knew without being taught.

Neither could think of anything other than the sweet heat that poured into them when their flesh touched and the need for more of it.

It was like a dream, the world around them just disappeared, nothing mattered anymore.

And Inuyasha just knew he had to join with this woman. He had wanted her for so long, stood beside her as she stood beside him, and he had never really acted on those feelings. He had been good, he had looked but never touched. But right now, he couldn't remember why he had displayed such restraint.

Why shouldn't he take her in his arms as he did now?

Why shouldn't he run his naked body along the length of hers?

And why shouldn't he join his body with hers?

He couldn't think of a single reason not to, so he did. He settled himself between her thighs, watching her flushed face and loving how she panted gasped. He grabbed her hips, held them firmly, and pushed forward, spearing her without mercy or restrain in one quick motion.

Kagome screamed and Inuyasha flinched in sympathy.

But that was it, it was over now. And he stayed still giving her body a chance to adjust to this new intruder, while he leaned down and began kissing her again. Coaxing her back into playing with him, saying he was sorry without actually saying he was sorry. Because, honestly, he wasn't.

Her body was warm and wet and, more than likely, the single most pleasurable thing he had ever felt.

When Kagome started gently rocking her hips, Inuyasha matched her motions, groaned at the feelings that ran through his body. It was as if his entire being was focused on that single connection between them.

He heard her cry his name, a small almost indistinguishable cry, but it lit his blood on fire. She was all he could see, all he could smell, his entire world had shrunk to the woman in his arms.

He started moving faster, rocking into her, and she moaned as her back arched under him. It was glorious, feeling her move around and within him. He needed nothing else but this, nothing mattered but this. There was no other reason to breath than to be able to hold her in his arms. And he just couldn't imagine why he hadn't done this before.

She was whimpering as he increased the tempo of his thrusts, he wasn't going very fast but each stroke was deep and pleasurable.

He would have plenty of time to go faster later, to explore her body more and find what brought her pleasure. But for now, it was enough to just feel that moist heat, to feel her silkin skin rubbing against his.

When his orgasm grasped his body, he pushed into her one last time, encasing himself completely in her body, and beneath him Kagome convulsed as her own pleasure climaxed, and his seed was pushed into her body.

Kami, yes.

This was incredible.

Why hadn't he done this before? What the hell had kept him from doing this?

He leaned back a bit and looked down at the treasure beneath him her cheeks flushed as she gasped for air and looked at him with the most beautiful eyes.

So perfect, so loving.

He reached up a hand and stroked her cheek.

How he loved her, how he adored her. He would die for her, he would kill for her. He already had, in fact. He would protect her from anything and everything. No matter the human or demon. Naraku himself couldn't-

Inuyasha gasped.

Naraku.

That was why he hadn't done this before. He couldn't do this to Kagome. Not now! He had obligations, he had enemies far too dangerous to mate with a woman right now.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, seeing his face shift so completely.

He looked at her, her desire fogged eyes.

No.

That wasn't desire.

That was a different kind of fog.

He jumped back, landed on his feet on the other side of the room, looking for whatever had fogged his mind, was trying to take back over his mind.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome sat up. "What's wrong?"

Inuyasha siad nothing, looking around. What had happened? He never forgot his promise to Kikyo like that. He certainly never forgot about the dangers Naraku presented.

"Calm down, Inuyasha." Kagome looked at him seductively. "Why don't you have a drink to calm your nerves."

She pointed to the door where, how had he missed that, a bottle of that sake had been placed.

The sake!

Inuyasha jumped forward and grabbed it and sniffed at the open container.

It smelled sweet and delicious. He was so tempted to just drink it down. Just thinking about it made him start feeling drunk again.

He forced his thoughts away and threw the bottle.

He looked back at Kagome, laying, confused, on the futon. And behind her, how had he missed it?, the ink painting of the naked man that just poured out a demon aura.

Inuyasha didn't know what it was or why it had done this, but he wasn't about to wait and find out. That painting was it's true form and it had brought Kagome and Inuyasha here for a reason, to do what they had just done, before it.

So he didn't care what it was or what it wanted, he leapt forward with a cry of pain and anguish and ripped through the painting with his bare claws.

He heard a scream, a scream of tortured pain that sounded suspiciously like the inn keeper.

The change was sudden and almost overwhelming. The fog that had been filling his brain faded as well of the scent of the flowers that had been hiding the demon.

Kagome blinked a few times, then he saw awareness come back into her eyes and she gasped.

"Oh, my..." she said, shocked. "We...we just..."

Inuyasha didn't speak to her, he didn't think he could. He reached forward and threw on his suikan and put his Tetsaiga into it. He said quickly, without glancing at her, "I'm going to go check on the others." and he ran out.


	3. Explinations

I've officially started my first story on fictionpress, it would make me so happy if you checked it out, just replace dot with a . and put it on your task bar to be taken right to chapter 1:

wwwdotfictionpressdotcom/s/3000460/1/Deep_Sea

And enjoy this fic here :D!

I may have gotten some things about them wrong, but I don't care. For the purposes of this fic, that is how they are, you'll know when you read about them. And this is a bit of a short chapter, deal with it, it's all you get for now.

**Explanations**

Kagome breathed a sigh of complete wonder. All she could do was sit, naked, on the futon for a minute.

She had just done it.

She looked down at her body, but it was exactly the same as it had been before. But how could that be when she felt so different?

And she felt...happy! She smiled a bit. She was happy. She had just given herself to the man she loved and she felt complete in everyway.

And he had run away.

Her face fell a bit. Honestly, she shouldn't expect anything different. When faced with something like this, the first thing Inuyasha would think to do is run. It was so...him.

But she was still disapointed. She had just had what was probably the single greatest moment of her life and he had run away. She would have to make sure to tear him apart about it later, as soon as she found out exactly why he had run.

She looked around, her clothes were in shreds. But he had left his fire rat robe, so she pulled that one as she had done in the past, using the enormous sleeves more as a belt than anything.

She stood up, her legs were a bit wobbly, but otherwise she was fine.

The ink painting lay on the ground, ripped into five from Inuyasha's claws. She bent down to pick it up, but there was nothing on it. The man had vanished.

And nothing said 'demon' like ink paintings vanishing from paper.

But Inuyasha had obviously slain it. The ink painting must have been its true form.

She heard movement outside the room. Not one to cower, she ran to the door and threw it open, prepared for anything.

And gasped when she saw the inn keeper, crawling along the ground, his hand on his chest where four claw marks had been dug into his flesh.

"I gave you...what you wanted." he growled and blood poured form his lips. "I always give...what you want."

Kagome was unsure of whether or not to be worried. Inuyasha didn't claw random people for no reason, at least not anymore. Then again, he looked so helpless and so human.

"She will...avenge me." he glared his face turning ugly in anger. "She will...come after you. You will pay...for this."

"Kagome!"

Kagome looked up in surprise as Inuyasha came running towards her, Tetsaiga at the ready, but the inn keeper had said his last and his body slumped, dead, onto the wood.

"What was he?" she asked as Inuyasha stepped in front of her protectively and sheathed his sword.

"I don't know." Inuyasha sighed. "But he's not human. The flowers are gone now, I can smell him properly. He's a demon."

"Kagome! Inuyasha!"

Sango and Miroku came running around the corner, obviously sober and alert.

"What about the sake?" Kagome asked, confused.

"Demon sake." Inuyasha said. "It tempts you to drink it but once the demon is dead it loses its affects." He was talking to her but he was keeping his eyes away from her still. Kagome wanted to demand he look at her but Sango and Miroku had already reached them.

"Are you two alright?" Sango asked.

"Fine." Kagome nodded. "What was he?"

Sango, a demon expert, kneeled down and examined the body. "Oh, I've heard of these. I've never seen one before."

'What is it?" Miroku asked as he said a prayer for it, ever the monk.

"It's called an incubus, the male form of a rather...special type of demon." Sango looked up and saw Kagome wearing Inuyasha's robe, something she did only when her clothes weren't available or she was in danger of fire.

"What type, Sango?" Inuyasha asked, annoyed.

"They feed on..." she paused, uncertain if she wanted to say it in front of the monk. But Inuyasha glare told her she better seak up fast. "They feed on sexual energy from females."

Kagome and Inuyasha blushed and looked away from each other.

Miroku looked up like a hound scenting blood as a wide grin broke out of his face. "You don't say?"

Sango continued, "This one was using this inn as a way to get people to stay here, have...you know, then eat the energy created from it. The sake was used to help loosen inhibitions."

"So, he made us..." Kagome trailed off.

"Yeah." Sango nodded, knowing what Kagome couldn't say.

"Really?" Miroku looked intrigued. "I should probably be told exactly what-"

"Shut up, monk!" Inuyasha punched him on the head, not hard enough to leave a mark but hard enough to make a point.

"He said, 'she will avenge me.'" Kagome spoke up. "Who is she?"

"It might be the female form of the demon." Sango said. "The succubus. She eats the sexual energy from males. It's a lot more affective for the succubus or incubus to just mate directly with their chosen pray but an indirect method is to have the pray just mate before their body."

"The ink painting." Kagome said.

"Right." Inuyasha nodded.

"Ow." Miroku rubbed his head, stars dancing before his eyes.

"I'm just...going to go get my things." Kagome said, running away from them towards the common area.

"I'll go with her." Sango said. "Inuyasha, can you and Miroku check on everyone?"

Inuyasha nodded and Sango smiled thanks as she chased after her friend.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, did you two actually..." Sango asked as Kagome pulled her spare uniform from her bag. She always kept a few spare just in case one was ripped beyond repair, which happened all too often.

Kagome nodded, biting her lip. "It felt almost like a dream as it was happening. But it was real. And it was wonderful." Kagome smiled at her. Then her face fell, "But he ran away. He ran away from me after the demon's hold on him broke."

"An incubus and succubus are most vulnerable after mating." Sango said. "They're eating the energy created, once you're under their spell it's the only time you can attack them. Inuyasha couldn't have broken the spell any sooner."

"I kind of didn't want him to." Kagome admitted. "It was amazing. Everything I always dreamed. And it actually happened." THe smile that had been growing back, faded again. "But he regrets it. He wishes it hadn't happened."

"The incubi and succubi can only eat the sexual energy if real desire is present." Sango said. "They can build upon desire that's already there, make it more obvious and harder to ignore, but they can't create it. That's why they normally choose to mate with their pray themselves, they're so attractive that instant of desire is automatic in the opposite sex. If he got you and Inuyasha to mate, it wasn't that either of you were unwilling.

"In fact, it could have chosen Miroku and me. Miroku and any female, actually." Sango grimaced. "But it didn't, it chose you two to mate before it tonight. The energy between you two was greater than the energy between me and Miroku. He wouldn't have had to work as hard."

"So, he did want me, is what you're saying?" Kagome asked to clearify.

Sango nodded. "If nothing else, I can guarentee that."

"But he still regrets it." Kagome sighed as she pulled off his robe, long past the point of being body shy around Sango. And the rest of the room was empty. All the servants apparently disappeared with their master's death. "I have to talk to him."

Sango nodded. "Let's go find them before he kills the monk."


	4. Apology

I've officially started my first story on fictionpress, it would make me so happy if you checked it out, just replace dot with a . and put it on your task bar to be taken right to chapter 1:

wwwdotfictionpressdotcom/s/3000460/1/Deep_Sea

And enjoy this fic here :D!

**Apology**

The gang got out of the inn that night and traveled as far as they could before the sun rose.

Inuyasha was walking ahead of them, his arms in his sleeves, carefully looking away from everybody, Kagome especially.

Kagome had hung back a bit to stay with Sango who was being very supportive of her. Shippo, oblivious to anything being wrong, sucked on a sucker Kagome had given him to keep him from annoying Inuyasha. Trailing behind all of them, in trouble with both Sango and Inuyasha, supporting bruises from both, was Miroku who was grinning evilly but keeping his lecherous thoughts to himself.

They weren't talking as they would normally do. It was very quite.

The sun rose and the day was beautiful, but for them it was quite and a bit solomn.

By unspoken agreement, they were heading back to the village. Kagome was glad for it, she needed to be alone, perferably at home, to think.

It was one thing to sleep with the man you loved, and Kagome had to admit that she had enjoyed herself.

But it was another thing to sleep with the man you loved because someone else had wanted you to.

She was replaying the events from last night back again and again, thinking it all over.

The incubus hadn't actually done anything to stimulate them, it had been the perfect host, in fact. Food, sake, music; everything a real inn keeper would have done.

It was just that the sake he gave them was demon sake. So really all that had happened was that Kagome and

Inuyasha got drunk, their inhibitions were pretty much thrown out the window, and they did what drunk people had been doing since there had been drunk people.

And Kagome really just couldn't regret it. Fact of the matter was, she was happy. She had lain with Inuyasha, the man she loved, yes she had been plastered at the time, but it had been wonderful.

And she knew she had to get him alone, talk it all out, and get everything out in the open before he would let her do it again.

And she planned on doing it again.

Kagome was a modern woman. She accepted that he was a midieval man, he could accept that she was a modern woman. And modern women weren't ashamed of their sexuality and when they wanted it they were as free as men to go and get it.

Too bad the man that walked ahead of her was busy trying to block her out. He wasn't ignoring her, worse, he was being polite to her. Not looking at her, speaking only when it was important. It was annoying and a little more than insulting.

She needed to talk to him, soon, before that mind of his managed to make it his fault or he convinced himself to never speak of it again and act like it hadn't happened.

But it did happen and, whether he liked it or not, sex changed everything.

Especially since Kagome planned on having sex again in the near future.

XXXXXXXXXX

She was staring at him. He could feel her eyes on the back of his head but he tried to remain calm.

It was natural that she was angry. It was times like this he wished she would sit him. She never sat him when he felt he deserved it. She was more crual than that. She would let him sit in his own self hatred as she stared at him with those big, brown eyes and guilt tripped him into even more self hatred.

It was a vicious thing but Inuyasha still felt that he deserved it.

He had forced himself on her.

Kagome, the woman he had sworn to protect, the woman he had sworn never to hurt, he had hurt her. Ravaged her like a wild animal. It was no wonder she was angry at him.

He felt like dirt, lower than dirt. He felt like the half-breed scum everyone accused him of being. Everyone but her because she was too kind for that kind of thing.

And he had hurt her.

He couldn't let his own pain show, it would be wrong. He would get her alone later and beg her forgiveness even if he had to literally beg for it.

He would make her trust him again, he would. Even if he had to break his own arm to do it. He wouldn't ever lay a hand on her like that again.

She needed to feel safe with him, that was the only thing he could give her, his protection. And he wouldn't rest again until she felt that same sense of security she had before.

That she was back there with Sango, holding onto the demon slayer's arm for support, proved that she didn't trust him at all. But he would gain that trust back, he would, no matter what it took.

XXXXXXXXXXX

That night, they made camp same as usual, no one looking at each other.

Inuyasha had taken Shippo hunting as he had gotten into the habit of doing lately, teaching him how to hunt for himself. Kagome started and tended the fire while Sango and Miroku gathered fire wood and set up everything else.

It was a familiar routine, comfortable.

True, there was no laughter and chatter like normal, but the actions were just like always and Kagome took a bit of courage from that.

She would need it to call Inuyasha out for later.

She had decided to call him out after dinner, drag him into the woods to talk privately. She already had Sango's word to keep Miroku away from them, giving them the peace they needed while they talked.

Now she just needed the courage to actually call his name and tell him she wanted to talk.

"Here." Inuyasha said pulling her from her thoughts, holding out rabbit meat, already skinned and prepared for cooking.

"Thanks." Kagome took it but she noticed he was careful to keep from touching her and never actually looked at her.

The second she had the meat in her hands, he jumped up into the tree he had chosen for the night and Shippo sat next to the fire.

Kagome speared the food and stuck the sticks firmly into the dirt, keeping them edged toward the flame but not in it.

Then she stood and brushed herself off.

Inuyasha watched her through slitted eyes. He didn't want her to know he was watching her, it might make her uncomfortable.

She didn't look up at him as she moved which wasn't all that unusual.

She did put her sleeping bag under his tree, same as always, and that gave him hope that maybe she didn't hate him completely. She still trusted him to keep her alive, at least. That was something and he could deffinately build off of that.

He had built their entire relationship on that alone, he could start over again.

Of course, he hadn't actually hurt her the first time they met. He tried, but had never actually done it. He regreted trying to claw her even now despite the fact that she probably didn't even think of it. He knew he would hate himself for forcing her for the rest of his days.

But he would get her to forgive him even if he couldn't forgive himself.

And despite that, despite that he knew he was lowest type of man, he still couldn't look away from her beautiful form as she moved.

Sex changed everything, he knew that now.

Before he would watch her move and be enchanted. It was lovely, innocent, and she always had this gracefulness about her.

But now?

Now she was mesmerizing.

He couldn't not watch the way her hips moved, or peek at the skin of her thighs that showed when she bent over, or those beautiful lips when she looked up at the sky, checking the time by the location of the sun and moon.

She carried his scent now.

She had always carried his scent but now it was in her, around her, coming from her. He enjoyed that, he enjoyed smelling their scents mingled in her body and he knew he carried a bit of her scent now as well. The entire thing was arousing.

And because he enjoyed the sights and the smells, he felt even worse.

He ravaged her and he was enjoying the results. How horrible could he possibly get?

She trusted him and he betrayed that trust. It was something he would have to mend soon, very soon.

He heard girls that had been forced into situations like that often carried the scars with them for the rest of their lives, some never recovered. He had even heard stories of girls that had killed themselves because of it.

No matter what, he had to avoid those outcomes. He already had the death of one woman he cared for on his conscience, he refused to add another one. He wouldn't survive it.

He wasn't hungry so when Kagome called to him to tell him that the food was done, he pretended to be asleep.

It was the cowards way out, but he just couldn't bring himself to answer her. He didn't deserve that, he didn't even deserve to look at her anymore.

After a moment, the others turned to their food and ate without him. Shippo was certainly happy enough to eat his portion despite the fact that his piece plus Inuyasha's larger piece would give him a belly-ache.

Sure enough, after dinner, he whined to Kagome that his tummy hurt.

Kagome admonished him for eating too much and one side of Inuyasha's mouth raised in amusement. She told him to lay down in her sleeping bag as Sango pulled her Hiraikostu in her lap and began wiping it down with the cleaning cloth Kagome had brought her from the future.

Miroku, a bit tired from all the beatings he had recieved these past few days, laid down to sleep.

There was a moment of companionable silence as the sounds of the forest at night played around them.

Then he heard her voice say, "Inuyasha? Can I talk to you?"

He debated internally for a moment on continueing the pretense of being asleep, but that would be inexcusable cowardly, so he opened his eyes and nodded.

As Kagome stood, he jumped from his tree and landed beside her.

"Sango?" Kagome looked at her friend who nodded.

They turned and walked into the woods, keeping a three foot distance between them.

Miroku moved to stand but there was suddenly a giant boomerange in his way.

"Don't even consider it, monk." Sango said dryly. "Go back to sleep. You leave them alone."

"But my love-"

Sango made a move to grab the short sword she kept with her.

Miroku cleared his throat. "I suppose a bit of privacy isn't too much to ask."

XXXXXXXXXX

They walked for a good thirty minutes. Actually, hiking was probably a closer term.

Inuyasha led the way, clearing a path for her to walk on. He still didn't speak to her, but he was caring for her as he always did, making sure she could walk with relative ease, something that warmed Kagome's heart.

Finally, they came upon a clearing. It wasn't a very wide clearing.

It was the three foot waterfall of a brook that was obviously a popular animal watering hole. It wasn't completely closed in and Kagome could see the beautiful night sky again.

Inuyasha paused once there and Kagome walked past him.

He didn't speak as she kneeled down and scooped up some water in her hands and brought it to her mouth.

That he didn't immediately demand to know what she wanted set off a red flag in Kagome's mind. He was only polite like this when he was punishing himself.

She drank her fill then stood and turned to him.

He wasn't looking at her, he was looking at the ground slightly to the side, his arms in his fire rat robe sleeves.

Suddenly, all of Kagome's bravery dried up.

How exactly was she supposed to start this conversation? She should have practiced, she decided. Maybe she would be more prepared if she had written an internal script before hand.

But she was saved from having to come up with something by Inuyasha saying, "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Kagome blinked, surprised. "What?"

"I said, I'm sorry." he repeated, still looking away.

"Why?" Kagome asked. She was pretty sure she knew the answer but she wanted to hear him say it.

Inuyasha swollowed nervously and said, "I'm sorry for...you know...what I did."

"What you did." Kagome repeated quietly. Oh, she had been afraid of this.

"Yes." Inuyasha said. "I know that what I did was wrong. The only excuse I have is that the demon had...well, you know. But that doesn't change it, I know that. And I'm sorry. I'll do whatever I need to-"

"Why?" Kagome inturrupted him. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because I..." Inuyasha hesitated. She was going to make him say it. He was avoiding even thinking the actual word. But if it would help, he had to force himself to admit what he did. "Because I...I..."

He took a deep breath and said quickly, "I'm sorry I raped you!"


	5. Arguements

I've officially started my first story on fictionpress, it would make me so happy if you checked it out, just replace dot with a . and put it on your task bar to be taken right to chapter 1:

wwwdotfictionpressdotcom/s/3000460/1/Deep_Sea

And enjoy this fic here :D!

A thousand and six thanks to my new beta, Angel of Love and Fluffy Stuff

**Arguements**

Kagome was stunned into silence for a moment.

She knew that Inuyasha would feel bad, would even probably feel somehow responsible for what had happened, but she never would've thought he would believe he actually raped her.

"What?" she gasped in disbelief.

"I know, I'm sorry isn't-"

"Stop," Kagome commanded and he did. That he listened like that was another bad sign that he was feeling incredibly guilty. "Inuyasha. You. Didn't. Rape. Me." she said it slowly and purposefully to make sure he got the message.

"But-"

"No 'buts'!" Kagome cut him off again and he looked at her in surprise, she had said it with a little bit of anger. "Inuyasha, that was consensual sex."

Inuyasha blushed a bit at the easy way she said it, without a hint of hesitation. "Kagome, it wasn't." he insisted. "That inn keeper...I should have been more aware. If I had been, we wouldn't have..."

"I know," Kagome said, her anger calming back down, "but we did. And, believe me, it was consensual. Don't think it was rape."

"But it was." Inuyasha repeated, determined to make it his fault. "You weren't in your right mind, you were drunk off of that demon sake and I took advantage of that."

"Okay, fine." Kagome crossed her arms. "But if you're going to say that you raped me, you have to admit that I raped you back!"

"What?" he looked confused. "You can't rape me, you're a girl."

"You were just as drunk as me," Kagome proclaimed, feeling a bit proud of the loophole she found. "I took just as much advantage of you as you did me. The only way I'll let you admit that you raped me is if you admit that I raped you as well."

Inuyasha's jaw had gone slack in surprise and confusion. The idea that a girl raped a man was foriegn to him. There were people in modern times who didn't think men could be raped so Kagome wasn't surprised he was surprised by her ultimatum. And she was sure his pride would never let him admit that he was raped so he wouldn't be allowed to think he raped her.

"It just...doesn't work like that!" he finally said.

"Accept it, it was consensual rape or it was consensual sex, pick one," Kagome retorted. She had to nip that rape thought in the bud fast or she knew it would come back to bite her in the ass.

And as long as he believed he forced her, he wouldn't touch her again. Which was exactly what she didn't want to happen.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha's mouth moved but no sound was coming out.

That was good. He couldn't find away around that logic of hers, which was right anyway.

"I don't regret what happened." Kagome continued, smiling a bit. "Yes, we were drunk, but I don't wish any of it away. I'm happy that it happened."

Inuyasha looked away, blushing furiously. Truth of the matter was, he had enjoyed it as well.

Kagome approached him and grabbed his hands, pulling them out of his sleeves and holding them in her own. "That demon alcohol didn't affect my memory. When the inn keeper died, it all just vanished from my system leaving my memory in tact. I remember every bit of it."

Inuyasha nodded to show that he did as well.

"Do you remember what I said to you?" she asked. "Before we...you know. Remember what I told you?"

He played back the events in his mind, paying attention to before they had mated.

"You said..." he trailed off not sure he could voice it.

"I said, 'I lub you'." Kagome giggled. "I was drunk, enunciation wasn't really my top concern."

"So..." he just couldn't speak the words. Speaking those words would give birth to a hope that was already quickly growing in his chest. And if he was wrong and that hope was crushed, it would hurt too much.

"I meant, 'I love you'," Kagome clarified and he looked her dead in her eyes, his golden eyes smoldering with unspoken emotions. "And it wasn't the alcohol talking, at least not completely. I do love you Inuyasha. I love you so much it hurts. And that night was incredible to me _because _I love you so much."

Inuyasha wasn't sure what to say. Of course he knew what she felt for him, why else would she stand by him despite the pain he caused her if it wasn't love? And he knew what he felt for her in return. But there was one problem, one problem that the demon sake had made him forget but kept him from giving himself to Kagome.

"Kikyo," he murmered. That one word made Kagome's face fall and caused her to look away. "I owe her my life. I can't...I just...can't..."

"I know," Kagome said, smiling back at him understandingly. "I know that one day you're going to give your life to her. I know that, but..." she paused. "While you're still alive, while you're still with me, can't we pretend? Can't we just pretend that you're mine alone?"

Inuyasha's heart hurt.

He loved both girls, he did. It wasn't a matter of who he loved more and it wasn't even a matter of choosing. Logic and his soul both called for Kagome.

But his honor, the only thing he had that was really his and only his, wouldn't let him. Kikyo had given her life for him, he owed her the same in return and he had already given her his word. Isn't that why he had pushed Kagome away in the first place, to keep from hurting her because of that very love she had for him?

But when she came back, when Kagome asked to stay beside him, it had lifted him up. He would do anything for her, he knew that. But he was afraid giving in to her now, giving her what she was asking for, giving her what he dearly wanted to give, would hurt her badly eventually.

"Let me think," he finally said because she was expecting an answer. "I need to think."

"I know," Kagome stood up on her tip-toes and pressed her lips against his gently, for a just a moment, before pulling back. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

He nodded and gave her a half-smile of thanks.

Kagome carressed one cheek before turning and beginning the walk back to camp, her heart lighter and heavier at the same time.

XXXXXXXXX

The group reached Kaede's village only three days later. Predictably, Kagome asked Inuyasha to be able to go home for a few days. He didn't look at her as he nodded his consent, not bothering to fight her on the matter.

He had gone back to not looking at her, again. He had been jumping between avoiding the sight of her and staring ever since they had talked.

Other than that, they didn't mention it at all. Sango had given her curious glances and hinted that she wanted to know, but Kagome just couldn't bring herself to tell her. She wanted to keep it between her and Inuyasha until something was decided.

So she went home, giving him all the space she could.

Besides, losing her virginity was a big step for her. She needed some time as well. Time to get all the annoyances involved with sex done and over with.

Inuyasha watched her go, his face carefully blank but his heart in turmoil.

How could he say 'no' to her? How could he say 'yes'?

When you owed everything to one woman, how could you possibly look to another? Even if it was, as Kagome said, just pretend.

But that was the problem; it wouldn't be just 'pretend'. He couldn't pretend to love a girl he actually loved. It would be too hard, especially when the girl in question loved him back. There would be no happy end in that, he knew it. Nothing good could possibly come from a tryst with her when they both knew that he would break her heart someday.

Then again, they both knew that he would have to break her heart someday. So wouldn't it be better to love while they could and be thankful for the time they had? That would certainly be better than to be forced to stare at each other each day, knowing what could be and what could never be.

But wouldn't being together, really together, mean it would hurt more when it finally ended?

How Inuyasha wished his life was less complicated.

There were half-demons that spent their entire lives alone, especially after a parent or both parents died. Inuyasha had considered himself blessed to meet one woman to love him. That there were two women that loved him was so completely unbelievable and almost unfair. There were normal people who went their entire lives without really falling in love, and he got the opportunity to do it twice.

But it was worse than that.

Kikyo didn't love him anymore and, quite honestly, he didn't love her anymore either. What bound them together was a commitment that was, literally, as important as life and death. There was too much pain between them to ever really love each other as they had before and trust had never been something they shared.

But Kagome? Kagome he loved. She was more precious than air to him. He needed her to live now. However, he had nothing that bound them together, certainly nothing as important as the oath that bound him to Kikyo. It was the only reason that he could turn from her to fulfill his duty to Kikyo. And because he had nothing to bind him to her, she could still move on after he was gone.

Above all, he wanted Kagome to be happy. Certainly not with any wolves, because she could definitely do better than that. And absolutely no human Hobo's because she attracted danger like dead-meat attracted flies. She needed someone strong to protect her. But he wanted her to be happy, especially after he had died for Kikyo like he promised to do.

And wouldn't joining together just hurt her more?

And despite all the reasoning and logic that ran amuck in his head, his body and heart still wanted it, wanted her.

He wanted to hold her again, hold her sober this time. He wanted to repeat what they had done before, but end it properly and not run like he had the first time. He wanted to prove how much he loved her even if he couldn't say it out loud, couldn't voice it.

Even if it was just for a short time, he wanted to be hers and hers alone. He wanted, even if it was just pretend, to hold her, to be hers, to have her be his. He wanted everything she wanted.

And if he wanted it so much, didn't that mean she wanted it more because she had no Kikyo in her past to hold her back? How could he not give her what she wanted so dearly?

How could he give it?

How could he not?

She was only gone two days, but he spent both of them thinking to himself in his favorite tree outside of Kaede's hut.

Yes, no, yes, no.

The same thoughts and arguments ran around and round in his head.

He repeated arguments, he countered them again. He made a decision, he changed his mind. He did it again and again. Back and forth and back and forth.

Sango and Miroku inquired to his health, both of them genuinely worried about him. He assured them both he was fine, he wasn't hungry, he would come inside soon, no really, he was fine.

Shippo had started to nag him about something, but he wasn't listening because he was mid-argument with himself at that point and he had drowned out everything else.

By the time he left his thoughts, the kit had gone back to play or go inside and color. He wasn't really paying attention.

Villagers passed, waving in greeting and calling out to him. He waved back absently, not really paying attention to them either. After a while, they started worrying too, but he didn't pay them any mind.

He was too busy thinking, re-thinking, deciding, regretting, and deciding again.

He didn't come back to himself completely until he smelled a familiar, beautiful scent suddenly appear in the forest.

He lifted his head and looked into the trees.

After a few minutes, Kagome came into view, her backpack re-filled, a small smile on her face.

She still smelled like him despite the fact that she had surely bathed in her time. He liked that, he liked it a lot. And now that she had convinced him it wasn't, in fact, rape, he liked it even more than he had before.

And how could he deny _himself _something he so dearly wanted?

She reached the base of the tree and smiled up at him. "I'm back," she called.

"Welcome back," Inuyasha replied quietly, his face not giving away anything.

Kagome smiled and walked inside.

They didn't need to say a word.

_Have you come to a decision?_

_No, not yet._

_Take your time._

That he was so comfortable with her that they could have an entire conversation without saying a word was a wonder to him. Yet, strangely, not a surprise. It didn't shock him at all to know that he was so familiar with her.

But it didn't make deciding any easier.


	6. News

I've officially started my first story on fictionpress, it would make me so happy if you checked it out, just replace dot with a . and put it on your task bar to be taken right to chapter 1:

wwwdotfictionpressdotcom/s/3000460/1/Deep_Sea

And enjoy this fic here :D!

A thousand and six thanks to my new beta, Angel of Love and Fluffy Stuff.

This was not edited by my beta, she's having a family emergency and is unable to help me. I don't have a great lot of patience so I'm updating without her input. Hopefully, everything will work out with her soon. Until then, sorry about the wait.

**News**

He was stalling. He knew he was stalling.

The day after Kagome's return, he had everyone restart their journey. Miroku joked, Sango hurt him, Kagome smiled and handed out ninja snacks, and Inuyasha acted surly.

Acted.

He was still completely confused about everything.

It didn't help that everytime he smelled Kagome, he smelled himself on her and images, flashes, of that night came into his mind.

She wasn't purposefully teasing him, she gave him space, she didn't pester him, she acted like nothing happened. The others followed her lead treating it like the time she kissed him in Kaguya's castle, never speak of it. Ever.

To make better time, and to avoid awkward silences from walking together, they rode on Kirara. Well, Sango, Kagome, and Shippo rode on Kirara. Inuyasha and Miroku, who was very fast for a human, ran.

They took short breaks, mostly for Miroku's benefit, but didn't really stop all day.

Finally, around sundown, they stopped for camp. It was usual, it was normal.

And Inuyasha decided to stop being a coward and confront Kagome.

Her owed her that, if nothing else.

"Kagome." he said as she stroked the fire, urging it to grow.

Kagome looked up at him, saw his face and knew.

"Shippo, watch the fire for me." Kagome told him as she gave Sango a look.

Her demon slayer friend nodded.

Kagome stood and followed Inuyasha into the woods.

Again, they traveled for about half an hour before they stopped. There was no clearing this time, Inuyasha just stopped, took a deep breath, and turned to her.

Kagome stood, patiently, not prompting him, letting him take his time.

She was pretty sure she knew what he was going to say. She also knew what she was going to say.

"Kagome...I thought about it...a lot." he said at last, not looking her in the eye. "I just...don't think it would be fair...to you."

Kagome nodded, unsurprised. "I thought you would say that."

"I did consider it." he said, looking into her eyes trying to tell her just how much her wanted what she wanted, just how desolate he was that he couldn't have it.

"I know you did." Kagome smiled. He was a bit surprised at how unconcerned she seemed. She was smiling sadly, but not what he expected. He kind of hoped she would get angry, yell at him, and sit him so everything could go back to normal. He was pretty sure she had fought with him before, and he had fought back, just for that purpose alone.

"I...I have something to say."

"What?" he asked, a bit concered. Not really worried, but curious. This just wasn't like her.

"I went home and...I took a test." Kagome said.

Inuyasha shrugged, not sure what her examinations had to do with the subject. "Alright...?"

"It was a..." Kagome opened her mouth but no noise came out. She stayed like that for a second then all the air left her lungs in a great whoosh. "I thought this would be easier. It was a...a..."

"A...A what?" Inuyasha tilted his head. "More of your mathmatics?"

"No." Kagome chuckled a bit. "No, it was...well..." She tried again but still nothing came from her mouth.

She sighed, reached into her pocket, and pulled something white out. "This. This was the test I took." She held it out to him.

"You told me your examinations were on paper." Inuyasha said, taking it from her. It was made of that material she called 'plastic'. It was white, about as long as his hand, with a tiny window on it that had a black, even cross in it.

"Not that kind of test." Kagome smiled a bit, though it wasn't a happy smile. "That's a...magic stick."

Inuyasha turned the magic stick in his hand, not really understanding. But Kagome had been patient with him, he could be patient with her.

"It was positive." Kagome said like she was getting a great weight off her chest.

"You passed it?" he asked, still not comprehending. "Passing is good, right? Don't you always tell me that you don't like not passing your examinations?"

"I passed all right." Kagome laughed humorlessly. "Doctor comfirmed it and everything."

"Doctor..." Inuyasha thought about the word. "Oh. A healer, right? Why did you need to see a healer? Are you sick?"

"No." Kagome's answer eased his worry.

"Then what?" he asked, getting impatient. And with impatience came anger, and with anger came their fight, and with their fight came things getting back to normal. Maybe this was her roundabout way of getting there. He liked that.

Kagome hesitated. Then said, "Inuyasha...do you know where babies come from?"

"Of course." Inuyasha looked a bit insulted. "They come from..."

Kagome stared at her half-demon love as realization came over his face and her pregnancy test slipped from his fingers. His eyes went wide and shot straight to her abdomen.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called his name but he didn't react. He looked like he had slipped into shock. "Okay, I know it's a bit...a lot of a surprise. But...I _do_ want it. I mean...it's our _child._ True, it's a bit...inconvenient, but I'm happy. I'm so happy!" She beamed and her face seemed to light up.

Still, Inuyasha didn't move.

Kagome's face fell. "You...don't want it...do you?"

Inuyasha's eyes shot back to her face. "What?"

"I mean...that's fine." Kagome looked away as she crossed her arms over her chest, like she was trying to keep her broken heart from slipping out of her chest. "I always told myself when I was young, not that I _wanted_ to get pregnant so young, but if it ever happened I told myself I would give the father an out from the start. Told myself I wouldn't force him, it was my choice to keep it, it should be his choice to stay. I always..." tears slipped down her cheek, "I-I underst-stand..."

"No!" Inuyasha was suddenly there, pulling her into his arms. "No! Great Kami, no! How could you even think that, Kagome?"

Kagome looked up at him.

His face wasn't frozen in shock now.

Now it was fierce.

Fiercly devoted, fiercly protective, fiercly loving. He held her as if he was never going to let her go again.

This changed everything, he thought to himself. He could die for Kikyo before because he only had to think of himself, he had made no oaths that bound him to Kagome.

But a pup?

A pup bound him more tightly to her than any oath he could ever make to anyone. He would talk to his dead lover, tell her that he couldn't follow her anymore, tell her there was something more important keeping him here. If she didn't understand, than too bad.

A pup.

He was going to be a father.

Holy Kami! He was going to be a father!

He picked up Kagome, a shout of joy on his lips, as he turned her in a circle.

"I'm going to be a father!" he yelled for the entire forest to hear.

Kagome giggled as he set her back down.

"You're happy?" she asked, smiling up at him.

"Oh, Kagome." Inuyasha held her face in his hands and kissed her proudly.

She was the love of his life, the mother of his pup, and he could stay! Even Kikyo wouldn't hold him to his vow, not if there was an innocent life like a child involved.

Naraku.

Like a slap in the face, the wicked name popped into his head and he stepped back, suddenly filled with concern.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, shocked at his sudden mood shift. Mood swings were her job!

"I'm going to be a father..." he repeated, a lot more apprehensively than before. "Oh, no..."

Oh, no, Kagome thought, did he regret it already?

"Naraku." Inuyasha said quietly, suddenly catching Kagome up to his worry.

"Oh..." Kagome said, bringing up her hand and biting her nail. "That's not good."

"If he finds out..." Inuyasha trailed off, suddenly not so happy that he had yelled for the entire forest to hear about his impending fatherhood. "We need to head back to Kead's. You have to go back to your time."

Kagome nodded in agreement though she was concerned about the word 'you'. "What about you? Are you going to...stay here?"

"Are you kidding?" Inuyasha brought her back into his embrace. "I'm not going to leave you ever again!"

Kagome beamed as she burried her face in his chest. "I like that."

Inuyasha pushed her back suddenly.

He untied his fire rat robe, then dropped it over her shoulders. "Keep this on at all times!" he said urgently. "Don't ever take it off!"

Kagome nodded as she used his expansive sleeves as a belt to hold the thing on over her uniform.

"Here." Inuyasha took his sword from his belt, removed it from the sheath, then pressed the sheath into her hands. "This is for you too. It'll protect you."

Kagome nodded as she put the sheath at her waist as he would wear it as he put Tetsaiga back as his hip, sheath-less.

"Let's go." Inuyasha took her hand and pulled her close. He wouldn't feel safe again until he got Kagome back in her safer, relatively demon-free, time.


	7. Her

I've officially started my first story on fictionpress, it would make me so happy if you checked it out, just replace dot with a . and put it on your task bar to be taken right to chapter 1:

wwwdotfictionpressdotcom/s/3000460/1/Deep_Sea

And enjoy this fic here :D!

A thousand and six thanks to my new beta, Angel of Love and Fluffy Stuff.

This was not edited by my beta, she's having a family emergency and is unable to help me. I don't have a great lot of patience so I'm updating without her input. Hopefully, everything will work out with her soon. Until then, sorry about the wait.

**Her**

"Hey guys." Sango smiled at them as they walked back in camp. Beside her, tied up bodily with the rope she always kept with her, was Miroku with a large bruise forming on his head.

Sango was rather happy to see Inuyasha's hand in Kagome's, though she was a bit curious as to why Kagome was wearing his robe...and his sheath?

"We're going back." Inuyasha announced, his muscles tense for any demon attack. He had a lot of enemies, he didn't want his mate and pup to suffer from them.

"Going back where?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha abondoning their journey didn't happen...well, ever.

"Back to Keade's and Kagome's time." he said. "Kagome is pregnant."

"What?" Sango and Miroku gasped at the same time.

"How could you possibly know that? It's far too soon to tell." Sango finished.

"My time has a test for it." Kagome said, smiling happily.

"Oh, congratulations!" Sango jumped up and ran to hug her friend. Kagome hugged her back with only one arm as the other was still being held by Inuyasha who showed now signs of letting go. Ever.

"Congratulations, my friend." Miroku said, struggling to his feet without the aid of the arms that were firmly tied. He walked over to Inuyasha. "I didn't think you would be a father before me."

Shippo was already asleep and heard none of it.

"Why are you tied up like that?" Inuyasha asked, looking at Sango's ropes.

"He was trying to follow you." Sango glared at him as she held Kagome as length. She turned her smile back to Kagome. "This is such great news."

"Not really." Miroku said. "It's actually very problamatic."

"I don't think I like you calling my child problamatic." Kagome glared dryly at him.

"I agree." Inuyasha concured.

"I only refered to the fact that we all have enemies." Miroku said peacefully. "And I know for a fact at least one would use Kagome's pregnancy to his advantage."

"Which is why we're returning to her time." Inuyasha said. "Me and Kagome will run ahead and go down the well. I don't know how long we'll be gone. You two can take your time catching up on Kirara but I want to get Kagome back to her time _now_."

"Alright." Sango released Kagome. "Go."

Inuyasha knelt down and Kagome climbed on. He let her get comfortable then stood "I'm going to stay with her in her time. I want her there at least until the baby is born or Naraku dies, whichever comes first. I'll come back and visit but I'm going to stay there most of the time."

Sango nodded. "Me and Miroku will return to the village. But we'll probably keep searching while you're gone."

Inuyasha nodded, approving.

It wasn't bye, not exactly, but they knew that nothing would be the same with a baby. So the air was a bit meloncholy as the friends all looked at each other, saying farewell but not good-bye.

Inuyasha crouched down, felt his muscles ripple and conract, then he pushed from the ground with one powerful thrust and they shot into the air.

XXXXXXXX

Kagome woke up, her head groggy, warm and comfortable.

"Are you up?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome lifted her head.

Inuyasha was still running, he had run almost non-stop through the night and the sun had broke the horizan only an hour ago.

"Are we there yet?" she asked, wanting to stretch but unable to do so on Inuyasha's back.

"Not yet." Inuyasha said. "We traveled further than I thought yesterday."

Kagome looked around as the passing landscape. He wasn't going very fast, he must have been more tired than he let on. How well had he slept while she had been gone?

"Let's take a break." Kagome said over the wind that rushed by them.

"I'm fine." Inuyasha called back, speeding up his pace as if to prove it.

Kagome almost yelled at him to stuff his pride and rest but she stopped herself. He was over-protective at the best of times. With her being pregnant, it was if that protective side of him had been kicked into overdrive. He really didn't want to stop until they reached the well.

But Kagome didn't want him pushing himself to exhaustion when an hour nap would be all he needed to finish the trip. They were relatively close, by car or Inuyasha, so Kagome felt safe stopping. But if she said he needed to stop, he wouldn't listen.

"I need to rest, Inuyasha." Kagome said. "I'm...feeling sick."

Pregnant ladies felt sick, Inuyasha knew that though he didn't know that she was still too early along to actually get sick, she was sure. She was a bit scared he would tell her to just hold on until they reached the well.

However, it worked.

He slowed to a stop near a stream.

"All right, just for a bit." he said as she climbed down and got that stretch she wanted.

"Go lay down." Kagome suggested. "I'll keep watch."

"No." Inuyasha's voice was firm. "Rest. We'll start again in a little.

"Will you at least take a seat?" Kagome asked, trying not to sound desperate. She wanted him to take a break before he hurt himself.

He looked at if he might argue with her, but he turned after a moment and sat beside a rock, leaning against it just a bit.

Kagome smiled thankfully as she kneeled at the waters edge and started drinking from it.

She had forgot to grab her backpack before she left. Sango would take it back to the well for her, she knew, so she didn't worry.

Once she drank her fill, she leaned back and looked over at Inuyasha.

His eyes were wide open and he was staring at her, looking out for her.

Kagome tried not to sigh.

He was tired, but he wouldn't admit it or show it at all. In her time, he slept like a baby because he knew he was safe there. But, while in the past, he could stay awake, it seemed, for weeks on end. He slept rarely at the best of times, never when he was human and never when he thought they were in danger. She wasn't even sure how long he could go without sleep. Sometimes he would only pretend to sleep and Kagome couldn't tell the difference or he would sleep but only for a few hours.

He wasn't going to sleep until they got back to the future.

"Alright, let's go." she stood back up.

"Do you feel better?" he asked, standing as well.

"Huh?" Kagome blinked then remembered she was acting sick. "Oh, yes. I guess I just needed to pause for a moment."

He started to return to her, then froze.

"Wha-" was all Kagome got out before he was jumping front of her, pulling out Tetsaiga, and glaring across the stream.

"You! Half-demon!" a female called as she walked out of the forest. "I know your smell. I would recognize it anywhere."

Kagome gasped. The woman was beautiful, inhumanely so, with long black hair and jewel bright eyes.

"You smell like that inn keeper." Inuyasha growled.

_"She will...avenge me. She will...come after you. You will pay...for this. _

The inn keepers words came back to her. Was this 'her'?

"So you _are_ the one that slaughtered my mate." she glared, her glorious face furious. "You'll pay for that, half-breed scum."

"Look, I'm kind of busy." Inuyasha said. "Can we do this some other time?"

Kagome blinked in surprise. That he was willing to forgoe precious sleep was one thing, but that he was not only willing but wanted to abondon a battle just proved how desperate he was to get her back to her time

"There is no other time for me!" she snapped. "I will follow my mate to the grave, but I'll take you with me."

She reached into her kimono and pulled out a green, flashing orb just a few sizes bigger than the completed Shikon Jewel.

Kagome, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the wicked aura coming from the object, pulled Inuyasha's sheath from her waist and held it in front of her protectively.

"I got this from a demon who specializes in explosions." she grinned wickedly and the uncomfortable feeling in Kagome's belly turned into outright fear. "All I have to to is break it and all of us here will die!"

She squeezed it in her fist.

Inuyasha cursed and slammed Tetsaiga into the ground in front of both of them.

The glass shattered.

The world exploded in a sea of light.

Inuyasha turned and pulled Kagome into his arms.

Kagome felt the blast through the sword, through Inuyasha, through the sheath, through the armor like robe, but it was muted like listening to music through a wall.

"INUYASHA!" she yelled as he hollared in agony.

The force of it lifted both of them off their feet and shot them backwords and disitegrated the cloth of Inuyasha's white _kosode. _

Tetsaiga, rooted to the ground, didn't move as the transformation reversed as its master was thrown back.

At the last moment, Inuyasha turned so he hit the ground instead of Kagome.

His neck snapped back and his head slammed onto the ground and he cried out in pain as Kagome slipped from his grasp.

"Inu...yasha!" she called to him, her head aching from the force of the blast.

Inuyasha's vision was blurring, darkness creeping in at the edges.

He looked over at her but he couldn't breath through his nose, couldn't check to see if she was all right.

The darkness of unconcioussness slipped over him.


	8. Love

I've officially started my first story on fictionpress, it would make me so happy if you checked it out, just replace dot with a . and put it on your task bar to be taken right to chapter 1:

wwwdotfictionpressdotcom/s/3000460/1/Deep_Sea

And enjoy this fic here :D!

A thousand and six thanks to my new beta, Angel of Love and Fluffy Stuff.

**Love**

His demonic abilities, made that much stronger because Tetsaiga wasn't around to surpress them, were healing his body faster than Kagome or he could guess. And, at that moment, those superhuman healing powers he had connected a broken path in his brain.

Inuyasha gasped as the memories came flooding back.

"Kagome!" he turned to her desperately and reached for her. "Are you alright? Are you both..."

"We're fine." Kagome smiled in relief that he had obviously regained his memories. "Both of us. We had a lot of shields."

Everything in front of her at the blast had protecting her. Tetsaiga took the brunt of the explosion, then Inuyasha took the rest. The sheath picked up what slipped past him, then the robe protected Kagome completely. Kagome was sure that no one had ever survived so big an explosion with so little injuries before.

"How did we get here?" Inuyasha asked, looking around the cave. He could have sworn they had landed somewhere in the open.

"I pulled you in here." Kagome told him. "We aren't that far but we needed shelter."

"You shouldn't have done that." Inuyasha told her severely. "You shouldn't be carrying things with a baby in your belly."

Kagome, happy he was up, didn't bother to argue with him.

He crawled to his feet, stumbled a bit, leaned against the cave wall, groaning. He felt sore like he did after a really bad fight.

"Careful." Kagome stood and went to him and supported his weight on her shoulders.

"Stop trying to carry things." he told her unhappily as she steered him towards to entrance.

The cave she had picked was more for hiding than anything. The inner cave, she called it, was reached by an extremely sharp turn by the outer cave. The outer cave was more of a gaping hole at least three stories high that branched off into two. One branch led here, the other was the source of the river they had stopped at.

It was there that Kagome kept a fire going. Fire, she had discovered in her travels, was great for keeping predators at bay.

They turned out of the inner cave and stepped outside.

It was midday, bright and beautiful with no sign of the explosion in sight.

They had been thrown pretty far away. So far that Kagome hadn't felt safe leaving him alone to fetch Tetsaiga that, to the best of her knowledge, was still embedded in the ground at the blast sight.

"Food..." Inuyasha said thankfully looking at the fish that Kagome was roasting over the fire.

The rive right next to her meant she had, at least, a source of food.

She had been catching enough fish for two these last few days in case he woke up. Good thing she had too.

The moment he sat down, he grabbed one of the fish and took a bite despite how hot it was from the fire.

Kagome, not very hungry, sat beside him and watched him carefully.

After the explosion, he had been in pretty bad shape.

There had been a gash on the back of his head that bled profusely, but that hadn't worried Kagome overmuch. She knew, again from her travels, that head wounds tended to bleed excesively. What had really worried her was how burnt his back had been.

The explosion had practically destroyed his _kosode_ leaving only a few strips left that Kagome had used to start the fire. After destroying the cloth, it had wreaked havoc on his back. Luckily, Kagome had been learning herbology from Keade and had found some plants by the river that worked wonders on burns.

It had only taken a few days for the burns on his back to heal and get his bleeding head to stop. But the concussion that he had took a bit longer to heal.

It was a miracle that he was okay. Ravenous, but otherwise fine.

"How are you feeling?" Kagome asked after he had finished his third fish, the last one on the fire.

"Fine." he said rotating his shoulders expiramentally. He still felt like someone had beaten him with a bag of rocks, but it was fading fast.

Too fast. He needed to get back to Tetsaiga before something else came along to threaten his life and excite his demon blood. He doubted he would harm the woman carrying his pup but he really, _really _didn't want to take that chance.

"Are you still hungry?" she asked. "I can catch more fish if you want."

Inuyasha shook his head. He was still a bit hungry but he could wait until they got back to Kagome's time.

"We should get going." he tried to stand but his muscles, still a bit weak, protested.

"Don't force yourself." Kagome told him gently. "Are you tired? Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"Stop worrying about me!" Inuyasha told her sharply. She shouldn't worry about him, she should only be concerned about herself and their baby. It was _his _job to worry and fuss and protect her, especially now.

"Come back in." Kagome stood up and offered him her hand. "You should-"

"I'm fine." he insisted.

Kagome paused. "Well, I'm a bit tired. I haven't slept well lately." She knew him. He would resist sleeping until he died, but if _she _was tired he would give in. Sure enough...

"Alright. Just for a while." He stood up on his own but needed her help to walk back in. The fire would be fine without them looking over it.

There wasn't anything to lay on but rock, but Kagome had slept on worse.

Inuyasha laid down first, then opened his arms and Kagome crawled into them gratefully. He was providing her a pillow and warmth with his body.

He took a sniff of her hair. He had wondered why his scent stuck to her so nicely. Even after they mated it should have dissipated after one of her baths. That it didn't could only mean it was coming from her instead of coming off her. And he still really like it.

"Damn." he said unhappily.

"What?" Kagome asked.

"I wish my body wasn't so damn tired." he grumbled.

Kagome blinked, confused. Then understood what he meant and giggled. "Later, Inuyasha." she promised. "We'll have lots of time later. A whole lifetime."

"Yeah." he smiled a bit stupidly. "I'm going to be a father."

Kagome smiled. She had been happy when she had found out.

She had bought the pregnancy tests at the drugstore on a whim. She knew where babies came from and thought it was probably safe to take a test. She picked the one that swore results earlier in your disrupted cycle than the other, not that they didn't all promise that.

When she got home, she had immediately taken it. It barely took a minute to scream that she was indeed pregnant.

She had felt kind of numb. She had spent about an hour in the bathroom, sitting on the closed toilet, a hand to her belly. Just sitting there as if she could feel the life growing in her. Old Keade, in her teachings, had told her that when she got a good enough hold over her powers she would be able to sense the life in pregnant women. But she couldn't do it yet.

After that moment of disbelief, she had felt a sort of happiness. She _loved_ knowing that she was carrying Inuyasha's child. She adored the thought that she was nurturing a little life that they had created together. She hadn't been able to stop smiling all day.

Then she reminded herself that she had to tell him.

That was when her exitement nose dived.

She loved the baby, but would he?

She knew the reputation men from her time had gained for running from their responsibilities, but she also knew that he wasn't from her time. That didn't prevent her from feeling nervouse about talking to him about it.

She had made a quick trip to the doctor to get herself checked out first.

Yes, she was pregnant.

Yes, she wanted to keep it.

No, she hadn't told the baby's father yet.

Yes, she would.

Things would be so much easier if she was more sure about what to do.

Sure, she had sex ed just as everyone did. But sex ed really only covered how not to get pregnant. They barely broached the subject about what to do once you were. And yes she had skipped most of health while traveling through the past, but she still made it to a few classes. And really all that class covered was the diseases that you could get instead of getting pregnant.

There wasn't a single class on what happened after you _were_ pregnant. No one ever told you what to do past taking a test and seeing the doctor. Which was highly irritating. Some one should really think about changing that particular policy.

Then again, it didn't really matter what the policies were for being pregnant in the future since Kagome fully intended on having her baby here, in the past.

Inuyasha couldn't live in the future. Oh, she had no doubt he could try and would probably adapt very well. But the image of Inuyasha working a 9 to 5, wearing pants, living with the hustle and bustle of a big city day after day was just laughable.

No, he was a man of the past and, after all this time in it, Kagome as a girl of the past. This was where they needed to set up their family, live their lives.

Of course, that meant Kagome was going to be giving birth without painkillers. She wasn't looking forward to that at all. But this was her baby.

She moved a hand and set it over her belly.

Her baby deserved the best.

Inuyasha's hand moved over her own so that they were both holding their child.

Kagome smiled up at him. "I love you, Inuyasha." she said. The moment was just so perfect, she couldn't not say it.

Inuyasha smiled a bit and said back, for the first time, "I love you, Kagome."


	9. Worries

Alright, I give in. I'll write the story longer than intended. It's got a big plot now, nice and juicy with lots of fun to come in the future. Look forward to my new and revamped plot for TNATI. And this chapter is just the beginning :).

**Worries**

"Anything from Inuyasha yet, Shippo?" Sango asked as she and Miroku walked toward the well.

They had arrived back in the village two days ago but the villagers said they hadn't seen either of them. They figured they had just immediately dived down the well.

Inuyasha hadn't been back yet from the mysterious future, but that wasn't unusual. If it had been his baby and mother, Miroku thought, he wouldn't leave their side any more than he had to either.

Shippo had kept vigil on the well rim most of the time they had been there.

And, again, he lifted his tiny head and shook it negative.

"Do you think Lady Kagome would prefer her time or this one?" Miroku asked.

"This one, of course." Sango said, completely sure. "We just need her on the other side of the well for safety right now."

"So what are _we_ going to do?" Shippo asked, tilting his head curiously.

"We'll keep searching, of course." Miroku said. "It'll be harder without Kagome and Inuyasha but I, for one, have no choice."

"We found a new rumor in town." Sango told Shippo. "There was a big blast back towards the way we came from. Apparently, people only found the burned carcass of some kind of woman. They think it was the fault of a demon. Me and Miroku are going to check it out. Do you want to come?"

Shippo shook his head. "I'll stay here and wait with Keade for Kagome."

"Alright." Sango smiled. "Don't stay out too late."

"I wont." the kit promised. The fox child never liked to admit it, but he always felt sort of vulnerable when Inuyasha wasn't around to protect him, and even more so when Kagome wasn't around to protect him from Inuyasha.

Miroku and Sango turned away from the kit and began walking back to Kirara who was waiting for them just at the edge of the forest.

"Do you really think Naraku is responsible for that blast?" Sango asked. It had been Miroku who had heard the rumor from some traders that had stopped by through the village.

"No, not really." Miroku said honestly. "A big explosion isn't really Naraku's style. However, we need to check out every lead we can."

"I agree." Sango nodded as Kirara transformed.

They climbed onto her back, Miroku slipped his staff around Sango's waist and held onto that as she didn't trust him grabbing onto her waist. In mid-flight she couldn't kick him off Kirara's back. Well, she could but she would feel bad in the morning.

"All right, Kirara." Sango told her feline companion saying hat both of them were steady and ready.

The giant cat crouched down then jumped straight into the air, leaving Shippo behind looking forlornly into the open well.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Good morning." Kagome smiled as Inuyasha walked out of the cave. Fresh fish was already cooking as she had woken up before him.

"Good morning." he replied as he sat down before the fire. He was rotating his shoulders a bit. He was still kind of sore, but no more than he would be after a good workout. All in all, that blast could have done much more damage.

Much more.

Kagome was still perfectly healthy. She didn't have a bruise on her body and his scent was still coming from her steadily so he knew the baby must still be all right.

Though he still did have a hard time imagining his pup growing in her womb. It's not that he couldn't accept, mentally, that they had mated and a baby was the obvious end result. It was emotionally that he was completely stunned.

As the fish cooked, all he could do was stare in wonder at her flat stomach.

A child, _his_ child, was growing just under her skin. Even now as she turned the fish to cook both sides evenly, she was creating an entirely new life.

It was incredible, unbelievable, to him.

He was going to be a father.

How did he even prepare for that?

It's not like he had a father to compare to. His father had never done anything except name him and give him and his mother his own fire rat robe. He never knew him, had only ever seen him once, for a moment, and he had been almost completely transparent at the time. He had no idea how to even begin to be a father.

Kagome didn't seem at all worried about becoming a mother.

Of course not. Why should she?

She was already loving and nurturing. And she had a great mother to look up to, to emulate.

What did he have?

A handful of years with a mother trying uselessly to protect him from bullying, then years of abuse and neglect from pretty much every living creature he came into contact with after she died.

How could he possibly even begin to understand what it would be like to be a father?

"What's worrying you?" Kagome asked suddenly, jerking him from his thoughts.

"What?" he asked as she picked up a fish and passed it to him.

"I said, what's worrying you?" she repeated.

"Oh. Just..." he trailed off.

After all the time spent with her, after all the struggles and hardships and pain; Inuyasha still couldn't bring himself to admit, easily, a weakness to Kagome. It was that same old fear of 'what if'. What if she hated him for it? What if she used it against him? What if she mocked him?

He knew she was incapable of doing anything of the sort, and if she wanted to hate him she had plenty of other reasons besides a weakness. But it still stilled his tongue.

"You can tell me." Kagome coaxed gently. "I wont laugh, I promise."

Inuyasha set his fish back over the fire, suddenly not very hungry. "I'm thinking...of how to be a father."

"Oh?" Kagome said. And that was it. She didn't say anything else and it made him kind of anxious.

"I just," he continued, needing to fill the silence, "I never had a father. I don't even know how to be one. I can't...I just can't imagine what it must be like."

Kagome smiled a bit. She wasn't laughing, it was a comforting smile.

"Inuyasha," she said softly, "you are going to be a magnificent father. I don't know anything about being a mother, either. But I know that when I hold my baby for the first time in my arms, it's just all going to click. Women have been becoming mothers for...a long, long time. It's instinctual. It's bred inside us."

"But I'm not a mother." Inuyasha pointed out. "I don't have...mother's instincts."

"No." Kagome agreed. "You have father's instincts."

Inuyasha looked confused. He's never heard of such a thing before.

"You're protective of your family." Kagome explained. "Me and Shippo and Miroku and Sango. You protect us with your life. Whenever we need food, you go hunting without even thinking about it. Or fishing. It's just part of who you are and exactly what father's have been doing as long as mother's have been doing what they've been doing.

"Trust me, Inuyasha, the first time you hold the baby, you'll just know. It'll come easy to you." Kagome came over to him and sat beside him. She lifted his hand and placed it gently over her stomach. "This is your baby. I know you will be a great father."

Inuyasha seemed to be comforted by her words.

Then suddenly his face fell a bit and he asked, "What if the pup doesn't like me?"

It took Kagome a while to explain that she hadn't been laughing at him after that.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you're going to up for travel tomorrow?" Kagome asked as they retreated back into th cave that night.

To keep the fire going without their supervision, Kagome had soaked a few logs in the river then placed them around the fire. As the water evaporated, the logs would slowly burn. It created a sort of delay that would keep the fire going through the night.

"We've stayed here too long." Inuyasha told her. "We need to get going."

He wasn't used to going so long without something covering his chest, but he wasn't about to take back his robe from Kagome. It had already proved how well it could protect the two of them, she needed it more than he did.

However, that night she slipped it from her shoulder and made a little bit of a bed from it over the hard stone. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Inuyasha was standing, watching her as she spread it out along the cave floor. She was on all fours, smoothing it out, making sure no rocks had gotten trapped under it to poke them in the night. Just making a bed.

It was simple and not unlike her at all.

And still Inuyasha felt his loins tighten at the sight.

He was free now, he considered himself free now, of his vow to Kikyo. There was no way he would abandon his child. He knew that, if nothing else, he would never leave his child and mate.

And that freedom, that freedom to love her, made her that much more desirable. When he couldn't have her, he had that as a buffer between his feelings and reality. Now there was no vow, no buffer, and his desire could be free and realized.

All he had to do was reach down.

And take it.

He dropped to his knees and pulled her up from her straightening.

She looked a bit surprised for only a moment before she saw, and recognized, that look in his eyes.

There was no sake fogging their brains this time. No alcohol dulling their wits and movements and feelings.

This time, when he reached for her, he could clearly feel the warmth of her body. And when he slipped his hands under that unusual top she wore and pulled it up over her head, he could notice and appreciate the silkiness of her skin.

Skin that she took such care of and it showed in it's flawlessness.

Almost flawlessness.

There were scars and he recognized each of them.

A series of half circle puncture wounds on her left hip, front and back, from where Mistress Centipede had dug her fangs into the girl.

Ten half moon shapes on her arms that he could trace directly to his claws and a moment of insanity in a castle of nightmares.

And each scar, he adored. The flaws on her skin made her all that more beautiful in his eyes. Including the star shaped on on her back where she had jumped in front of an arrow for him. They were beautiful.

She was beautiful.

Kagome gasped quietly as he began running the pads of his fingers up and down her torso. Tracing her scars, he didn't seem to mind the ugly, torn flesh, and cupping her breasts through her bra.

For a few minutes, that's all he did. He touched, stroked, caressed her skin. Adoring every inch of her he could reach. The only thing touching her were his fingers, delicately tracing mindless shapes and muscle tone.

Kagome was lost in the feeling. It was such an incredible feeling, just having him delicately touching. Her mouth was open, her heart speeding up a bit, and her body craved more and still basked in what he gave her.

When he had enough, for the moment, of just touching, Inuyasha moved his hands to her face and framed it in his hands.

He kissed her delicately, at first, just dusting his lips over hers. The breath of a touch, a sigh, savoring. And when they truly met, the experience was somehow heightened.

Kagome, emboldened by his own free touch, lifted her hands and moved them over his muscled chest.

He was built like a rock and everything in her female purred at those sturdy, iron muscles.

They kissed for what seemed like a sweet, sweet eternity before he laid her back on his robe.

He leaned over her for a moment, just looking.

Her black hair fanned out around his robe, the red and black mixing and contrasting as her brown eyes burned with lust and love.

She was perfection and she was his.

When he pressed his body back against hers, Kagome noticed he was careful to not put too much weight on hers even though their bodies were still obviously pressed together.

Kagome couldn't have imagined that her half demon had this tenderness in him.

When he couldn't figure out her bra fastenings, Kagome did it for him and slipped the white lace off her shoulders and threw it away. Her skirt and panties, he slid down her waist and legs, kissing along her hip and the outside of her leg as he did so.

While he was up, he removed his _suikan_ and set it aside.

Then he came back and their flesh met. A sweet reunion of heat that was always hot but never burned.

Kagome bent her legs a bit, letting him between them.

He didn't slip inside her yet, he went back to kissing her. Caressing her, touching her in places Kagome never realized her seductive until that moment.

Their first joining had been hurried, drunken, and sloppy. He was trying to compensate for it now, she could tell, by giving her everything he could.

Kagome wasn't moaning, but she was sighing delightedly.

His lips danced over every piece of flesh they could reach. Her face, neck, shoulders, breasts, palms, wrists.

It wasn't until she was writhing, begging silently for more, that he pushed forward and speared her body with his.

Kagome did moan then as he began gently rocking within her.

It wasn't fast, it was slow and calm and glorious.

And when they climaxed, they climaxed together. Their bodies joined and the love pouring freely between them.


	10. Cracked

**Cracked**

"Inuyasha?" Keade came out of the hut, smiling and wiping her hands on a rag. "You can go in now."

Inuyasha jumped off the ground and ran inside. "Kagome?" he called.

His beautiful mate turned her head.

She was laying an a futon, propped up by a stack of hay covered with a blanket to soften it. Her hair was damp with sweat and her skin was pale. She was wearing a white kimono and was covered from the waist down. She was obviously tired but her eyes shined with happiness.

And, cradled in her arms, was the tiny figure she had just spent so many hour struggling to bring into the world.

"It's a girl, Inuyasha." Kagome smiled as he dropped to his knees beside them and looked at her.

She tilted the tiny creature so he could so her flawless face, tiny and peaceful in sleep. Her hair was was shiny black, her face so cute.

"Oh, Kagome..." Inuyasha said in wonder. "She's perfect."

"Isn't she?" Kagome smiled. "What do you want to name her?"

"I don't know yet." he admitted. He still couldn't quite believe that he had a daughter now.

Kagome laughed a little bit. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Can I?" Inuyasha asked, eager.

Kagome nodded and offered him to tiny bundle. "Careful, she's very delicate."

Inuyasha reached out with shaky hands and pulled his daughter close.

Her adorable face squished a bit and she writhed a bit as Inuyasha smiled at her.

"Kagome, she's beautiful." he said to his mate. When he got no reply, he lifted his head but Kagome wasn't lying on the futon. "Kagome?"

His daughter opened her eyes and the tiny brown orbs looked at him.

He looked down at her and smiled a bit. "Hi, little one."

Her face folded in on itself, then she opened her tiny, toothless mouth and emitted a loud scream.

"Sh, sh." he cradled her close and rocked her a bit. "It's okay. Daddy's here."

Her screams got louder. And louder. And louder. The screeching began hurting his ears and he got scared. His daughter's precious face was turning red and she looked like she was in horrible pain.

"Kagome?" he looked around but his mate was still gone. "Keade!"

He ran out of the hut, trying to calm his daughter, but Keade wasn't around either.

"Some one?" He called as he turned round. "Any one?"

The village was empty.

His daughter's screams got louder and tears poured down her face.

"It's okay. It's okay." he tried to say soothingly.

He kissed her forehead gently.

But when he pulled back he saw a big bruise right where his lips had been.

He gasped in fear.

He looked around again but he was all alone in the darkness. There was nobody to save his little girl from him. "Please!" he called out and his voice echoed back to him in the darkness. "Help me!"

The baby kept screaming and screaming in agony.

He looked down at her, terrified.

And as he watched, she suddenly crumbled to dust in his hands and was gone.

"No!" he dropped to his knees and looked at the dust that littered the ground. "No!"

His baby, his precious baby!

He began trying to gather the dust but no sooner than he started that a wind came through the darkness and blew all of it away.

"NO!" he begged. Not his daughter. No!

XXXXXXXXXX

"Inuyasha! Wake up!" Kagome shook him desperately. "Wake up!"

Inuyasha shot up screaming.

"Inuyasha." Kagome was there, turning his face towards her. "What's wrong?"

It was almost completely dark. The sun was still rising outside just barely illuminating the inside of the cave. But it was enough to see the tears that poured down her love's face as he looked at her with the haunted look of a man who had seen Hell.

"It was just a dream." she soothed him automatically as she pulled him close and embraced him. "It was just a dream."

"No, no..." he shook his head. "It was...the baby she..."

"The baby?" Kagome repeated. "The baby is fine, Inuyasha."

"No!" he backed up and looked around. "I saw her...she...she..."

"She or he is just fine." Kagome promised, picking up his hand and placing it over her belly.

He flinched when she did so but he didn't remove his hand.

Instead, he took a deep breath of their combined scents. He let out a staggered breath, seeming to release some kind of burden as he did so.

"The baby is okay." he said.

Kagome nodded.

He laid down and put his head against her stomach, getting as close to his pup as he could.

"See, the baby is just fine." Kagome stroked his hair.

"I...I hurt her." he confessed.

"No, you didn't." Kagome said firmly.

"I did." he insisted. "I held her too hard. I broke her and you weren't there and...and..."

"I will always be there." Kagome promised. "And you aren't going to break her. Babies are delicate but this _is_ going to be your child. It'll be stronger than your average baby. You wont hurt her."

"But I..." he seemed confused about the difference between reality and the dream.

"You're very strong." Kagome agreed. "And you have the ability to kill pretty much anyone. But you don't. You've never hurt me, have you?"

He shook his head, nuzzling her belly at the same time.

"See?" Kagome smiled. "Just be gentle with the baby as you are with me and I promise it will all be fine."

He nodded as he took another deep breath of their scents, so wrapped together it was getting hard to distinguish them anymore.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Where's the body?" Sango asked as she and Miroku picked their way across the destroyed ground of the blast sight.

"The villagers took it to the nearest village." Miroku said as he looked around. "They don't know if they know her or not, they want to bury her properly though.

"That's nice." Sango smiled a bit as they observed their surroundings.

There was a river right through the blast sight. It was still running though it probably curved a bit more than than it had before. The tree line was bent back away from the center and all the plant life in the circle was dead and gone leaving only the disturbed dirt.

"Hey, what's that?" Miroku pointed.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you're alright?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha adjusted the fire rat robe on her shoulders. She didn't know whether she was referring to the blast or the dream.

Either way, Inuyasha smiled a bit and said, "I'm fine. It's better we get moving again and soon."

He gave her one last kiss before they left the cave, Tetsaiga's sheath in his hands and his robe back around her.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Isn't that...Tetsaiga?" Sango asked as they observed the sword.

It certainly looked like Tetsaiga. The blade was rusted and dented, same as usual, and the hilt certainly looked like Tetsaiga. It had been driven into the ground and was tilted back so far it almost touched the ground, probably from the force of the explosion.

"Oh, no..." Sango gasped. "If this is Tetsaiga, you don't think that that woman was..."

"No." Miroku said firmly. "The only way anything gets to Kagome is through Inuyasha first, Sango my dear. If that was her, we would have heard about a male right beside her."

Sango seemed a bit comforted by that.

"Besides, if the Tetsaiga is like this," the monk continued to reason as he observed the scene, "it must be because Inuyasha drove it into the ground to protect them."

He stood beside the sword, grabbed an imaginary blade, and drove it into the ground so it was acting as a shield.

Sango watched on as he worked out the scenario in his mind.

"So, if they were standing behind Tetsaiga like this, then..." Miroku looked behind himself.

"The body was found over there." Sango pointed to an area about twenty steps from Miroku's immediate right.

"The blast originated from over there." Miroku pointed across the river. They could clearly see the outward force that spread from the central point. They could draw a straight line from that point to the sword.

"So if Inuyasha and Kagome were here," Sango said standing behind Miroku and his imaginary blade, "the explosion would have thrown us back that way."

XXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha took a deep breath and lifted up the sheath of his sword, pointing it towards the spot on the river that they had been thrown from.

He sort of..._reached_ with his mind, calling his beloved blade back to him.

He felt the sheath pulse in his hands in time with his own heart beat.

His heart, his sheath, his sword were all connected and it was with that he could summon the Tetsaiga to him.

XXXXXXXXXX

"We should go that way." Miroku pointed into the trees. "Keep going until we see a sign of them."

"It's been days since this explosion took place." Sango said, looking around. "I don't think they'll still be around."

"Just in case." Miroku sort of agreed with her. "It just depends on how much got past Tetsaiga, how powerful the explosion-"

He stopped when a strange rattling broke the silence of the air.

They both looked towards the sound.

Tetsaiga was shaking in the ground, struggling its way out of the ground it had been so firmly planted in for the past week.

Kirara jumped onto Sango's shoulder and three pairs of eyes watched in fascination as it jerked and struggled in the ground.

Suddenly, it shot out of the ground, turned in mid-air so the point was pointing towards the forest.

Then it shot away.

"Follow it!" Miroku cried uselessly as they both already started running after the sword.

They watched it swerve around trees as they tried to avoid avoid those same trees with mixed results.

When the Tetsaiga left the trees into a second clearing, they followed it with various cuts and bruises from branches and thorns on passing plants.

And everyone involved was surprised when Tetsaiga shot down the barrel of it's own sheath and Inuyasha saw his friends bursting from the tree line.

"Sango." Kagome, who was standing behind Inuyasha looked shocked. "Miroku?"

"Kagome!" Sango ran forward and hugged her friend. She was fiercely glad that it wasn't Kagome that was the burned body.

"What are you two still doing here?" Miroku asked as Inuyasha drew Tetsaiga again to look over the blade.

"We got caught in an explosion." Inuyasha explained.

"Is the baby-" Sango looked at Kagome's belly as if she could see the baby through her.

"The baby is fine." Inuyasha assured her. "We had to rest for a while."

"But you're both okay?" Sango asked.

"Where's your _kosode_?" Miroku asked, looking at Inuyasha's bare chest.

"The explosion destroyed it." Kagome said.

Suddenly Inuyasha cried out.

"What?" Kagome asked as the three of them looked at him.

"What's wrong?" Sango asked.

"Tetsaiga." Inuyasha, with a simple force of will, transformed Tetsaiga into its true fang form.

Kagome gasped as she saw what he had seen on the dented form.

There was a large crack going down the center.


	11. Deal

**Deal**

"Oh..." Kagome gasped quietly. She had known she was in an explosion, she had seen what the blast had done to Inuyasha's back and knew, logically, all the forces involved. But seeing Tetsaiga, the Iron Crushing Fang, the very blade she had seen block cannon fire mid-air without a scratch, seeing such a blade with such trauma was just downright scary. Tetsaiga had taken the brunt of the damage, and seeing how much it had taken, how much it had hurt the sword, sent chills down her back.

Inuyasha sighed and put it back in its sheath. "Here." he held it out to Kagome.

"But..." Kagome started to protest even as she took it.

"I can't use a cracked blade." he said. "But, even cracked, Tetsaiga will provide a great barrier for you. It's more useful in your hands than mine at the moment.

Kagome nodded and slipped the sword into the belt made from the long sleeves of the robe.

"That must have been one terrible explosion." Sango said in awe.

"What'll you do now?" Miroku asked.

"The same thing I was doing before." Inuyasha said, completely sure. "I'm taking Kagome home."

"But Tetsaiga..." Kagome started.

"I know." Inuyasha nodded. "I'll take you home first, then go see Totosai. I think Myoga is with him right now and I need to tell him about what's happening anyway. It should only take about three days for Totosai to fix it."

"He wont be happy when he sees what happened to Tetsaiga." Sango said thinking about how protective the demon was of his blades.

"Like I care." Inuyasha said. "He'll fix it and that's what's important. What about you two? What are you going to do?"

"Well, since the explosion wasn't Naraku," Miroku said thoughtfully, "I guess we'll go to the village the body was taken to so I can purify it."

"I thought the villagers said the body was human." Sango said, slightly confused. "How did you guys not notice a human around?"

"Human?" Kagome repeated.

"I don't remember a human." Inuyasha said. "The only other person there at the time was the demon who tried to kill us. The mate of that damn incubus I killed."

"A succubus?" Sango repeated. "Well, they do look a lot like humans especially when they've been burned beyond recognition."

"We'll make sure it was the succubus." Miroku said, cutting off Inuyasha before he could demand to know whether it was her or not. "Don't worry. Just get Kagome home."

Inuyasha nodded his thanks before kneeling and letting Kagome climb on his back. He wasn't stopping this time until she was safely on the other side of the well.

"Be careful." Sango smiled at her friend. "We've left Shippo at the village. He might still be at the well."

"Alright." Inuyasha knelt them leapt up into the sky away from them.

Miroku sighed. "I have a bad feeling, Sango."

"Me too." she said. "I really hope Kagome stays safe. Don't tell him I said so, but Inuyasha really deserves a bit of happiness. I think this will be good for him."

Miroku nodded in agreement. "If we can keep her and the baby safe, I think Inuyasha will be able to find happiness. And if we can't..."

"Let's not think about it." Sango smiled bravely. "Kagome will be fine if Inuyasha has to shed every drop of blood he has to keep her that way. Now lets go see if that body is human or not."

Miroku nodded and followed her out of the clearing and towards the village.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I love you." Kagome said as she snuggled closer to Inuyasha's warmth.

"I love you, too." he smiled a bit. They were getting close to the well and Kagome was trying her hardest to not ever let go of him.

Not that he minded at all.

Kagome nuzzled his neck, breathing in his scent. She didn't really have any symptoms of pregnancy yet, but she was ready for them.

She was only a teenager but she was ready to be a mother. After all, she practically lived her in the Fuedal Era and girls here had babies younger than her all the time. It wasn't unusual for her to be pregnant right now. It would be in the future, but not now.

Now all she had to worry about was the baby in her belly and the man in her arms. And that was good enough for her.

Inuyasha was feeling...strange.

Not bad, just...strange.

Had it really been only about a week since he had discovered his whole life was changing? He had a mate and a pup on the way and a bright future ahead of him if only he could keep them both safe.

This was never something he could imagine in even his wildest dreams.

Half demons didn't breed. No one wanted to breed with a half demon. Kagome was the only human he knew that would ever get close enough to want to. Even Miroku and Sango stayed with him first because of Kagome and second because he protected them. Their friendship grew from that.

He couldn't help but think about his father for a moment.

Would his father be proud of him? He had left him his Tetsaiga to protect the humans around him and that was what he did even at the expense of his own health. Would his father be happy that he had a human woman for his mate?

And what would his mother think? His mother would love Kagome, they would get along so well. Both were so kind and loving.

His parents would approve of his mate he concluded. How could they not? Kagome was perfection.

He landed gently beside the well and let Kagome off before standing up.

"You alright?" he asked turning and putting a hand on her cheek.

"I'm wonderful." Kagome smiled as she leaned into his touch.

Shippo was no where in sight, he must have still been at the village.

"You should go." Kagome smiled sadly. "Get Tetsaiga fixed."

She went to grab the sword but Inuyasha stopped her by grabbing her waist and pulling her close. "Not yet. It's not the most important thing right now."

Kagome smiled a bit and leaned into him.

"I'll go to your time with you." he said turning them to the well. "I need to speak with your mother. Does she know?"

Kagome nodded as he climbed up onto the lip and pulled her into his arms.

"Is she angry with me?" he asked suddenly feeling insecure.

Kagome shook her head no. "Mama is really happy. She'll really want to see you. Souta is excited too."

"And your grandfather?" he asked noticing she had left the old man out.

Kagome hesitated. "Gramps...well...He'll come around. He's just a bit shocked.

Inuyasha sighed and jumped them into the well. There was a flash of blue light and they were gone.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Thank you for coming, Sir Monk." the village head welcomed Sango and Miroku gratefully.

The unknown woman hadn't been buried yet. With Miroku around to do the blessing, they would finally be able to put the girl to rest.

And Sango would be able to confirm whether or not it was a demon or a human.

"No problem at all." Miroku smiled. It was a smile that Sango knew meant she and Miroku would somehow end up staying here for free that night. "We're happy to do it."

"It'll put the village's mind at ease to know her soul is at peace." the headman said as he directed them to the room the body was resting in. "She's right in there."

"Thank you, sir." Miroku nodded his thanks and he and Sango entered.

They had covered the body in white death kimono and lit some incense to cover the smell of burnt flesh.

Sango went around to one side and threw back the death cloth without apology and observed the body while Miroku said a few silent prayers for the poor person.

"Inuyasha was standing upwind of her." Sango concluded. "Otherwise he would have noticed her presence."

"So you're saying...?" Miroku prompted.

"This isn't the succubi." Sango replaced the shroud. "This woman was human. The succubi must have survived."

XXXXXXXXX

Those bastards, she thought as she nursed her wounds.

How dare they survive? They killed the man she loved and yet they still clung so dearly to life. They didn't deserve to live.

They would die for killing her mate. They would die and suffer in the most horrid ways she could manage.

As soon as her body healed.

It was hatred and spite that kept her heart beating after taking the worst of the explosion. Hatred and spite and the burning desire for vengeance.

"Vengeance, huh?"

The woman jumped and looked around at the voice. How had anyone found her? The inn her love had so toiled to create had been closed and looked completely rundown now.

"Don't worry, I am a friend." a man came out of the shadows, his red eyes flashing in understanding and his long black hair flowing down his back. "I, too, bare a hatred for Inuyasha. Perhaps, we can come to a deal."

"What sort of deal?" she asked.

Naraku smiled, knowing he already had her in the palm of his hand.


	12. Modern Talks Part 1

**Modern Talks Part 1**

Kagome reached out and pulled the sliding wood doors of the well house opened and smiled at her house. It was always nice coming home.

Though, more and more lately, she was starting to feel like she wasn't coming 'home'. It was more of the feeling a person got returning to their mother's for the holidays. It was always home but never actually home.

She started to walk out when she realized Inuyasha wasn't following her.

She turned and saw him standing at the top of the steps, looking at her house like he wished dearly to never enter there.

"It'll be okay." Kagome encouraged as she held her hand out to him. "Come on."

"You mated a half demon." he said quietly as if afraid the sound of his voice might bring down the ire of her family on his head.

"Yes. And?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha thought back to all the moments he had been abused as a child. It seemed stupid to only realize it so late but what would people think of his child? He in no way wanted his pup to suffer as he had. The village treated him kind enough but he wasn't mating and breeding with the women. And Kagome's mother liked him fine when he wasn't impregnating her daughter.

People only ever liked him because he was strong enough to protect them.

Isn't that the whole reason he gained power? So no one would hate him, so people would respect him?

Kagome seemed to read the direction his thoughts had taken because she returned to his side and took his hand in hers.

"Inuyasha, have I ever judged you about being a half demon?" she asked.

"No." he said honestly. In fact, she often acted like he was as human as her.

"In this time, we try not to judge people by what they look like or who their parents were." she leaned against his chest. "We judge them based on what they do and the choices they make. And you are the greatest man I've ever known. Mama thinks so too. So don't worry."

Inuyasha nodded but looked unconvinced.

"Come on." Kagome pulled him. The only way to prove it to him was to take him inside to where her family was probably already having dinner.

She opened the back door and entered.

"Mama! Souta, we're back!"

"Inuyasha!" she heard Souta cry as the sound of a chair being pushed away from the table came from the kitchen.

A second later her little brother was running down the hall.

"Hey, sis. Hey, Inuyasha." he beamed. "How's my nephew?" he reached up and gave Kagome's belly one stroke as if greeting the fetus within.

"Kagome, Inuyasha. Welcome." her mother poked her head out of the kitchen frame. "Give me a second. I'll fix you something to eat. Kagome, do you want anything special, dear?"

"Anything is fine." Kagome told her happily as she pulled Inuyasha forward into the kitchen.

"Where's your shirt?" Souta asked.

"Uh, it was..." Inuyasha hesitated, not sure saying 'the explosion destroyed it' would be a good answer.

"An explosion destroyed it." Kagome filled in for him and Inuyasha flinched sure that, now, her family would realize what a bad match he was for her.

"Co-o-ol!" Souta exclaimed. "You survived an explosion?" The question was directed at Inuyasha.

"Uh..." Inuyasha wasn't sure what to say.

"Oh, is the baby okay?" Mama Higurashi asked as they walked into the kitchen.

Gramps was at the table eating and carefully not looking at either of them.

"The baby is fine." Kagome said letting go of Inuyasha. "Let me help, mama."

"We're having steak tonight." Souta said happily.

Inuyasha had had steak on a previous trip forward in time and had enjoyed the meat immensely. So he sat at the table with Souta who immediately started chattering as Kagome washed the two extra steaks so her mom could cook them real quick.

Inuyasha wanted to bring up the baby, to talk to her family about it, but he wasn't exactly sure what to say.

'sorry' was no good because he really wasn't. 'oops' seemed honest enough but rude. 'I'll take care of your daughter' was only pretty honest if a bit formal.

So he just sat there as Souta chatted his ear off. The boy had stopped eating, waiting for them, but Gramps ate as quick as he could then excused himself.

Inuyasha watched him go remembering what Kagome had said about him not exactly being used to the idea yet.

"Don't worry about Gramps." Souta told him, smiling a bit. "He's just got his ponytail in a knot. He'll get over it."

"Souta, don't talk about your grandfather like that." Mama Higurashi admonished as she put the steaks into the pan. "Kagome, go sit down, dear."

"I'm fine." Kagome smiled. "Inuyasha, are you thirsty?"

"I just made some lemonade." Mama Higurashi said indicating to the fridge.

Kagome served him a glass of the sour-sweet drink and, a few minutes later, he was eating with her family.

Souta kept talking though Inuyasha tuned him out a bit. He was listening more to the conversation between Kagome and her mother. They were discussing baby names and the elder Higurashi was telling her own birth stories.

It was comfortable and, he imagined, not unlike similar situations that would occur in his time.

After the food was gone, Mama Higurashi stood and gathered the plates. "Inuyasha," she smiled, "why don't you help me with the dishes?"

"But-" Souta started to complain, wanting to beat Inuyasha at video games again.

"Souta," Kagome cut him off, "let's go find Inuyasha a _kosode_ shall we?"

"Why me?" he asked as Kagome stood up.

"We keep the traditional clothes in those boxes in the shed. You certainly don't expect a pregnant girl to lift anything heavy, do you?" she asked.

Grumbling, Souta reluctantly followed his sister out leaving Inuyasha with his mother.

"Inuyasha, bring the rest of the plates in here." she said.

"Uh, sure." Knowing when he was being isolated for a one-on-one talk, Inuyasha gathered the rest of the dishes and followed her to the sink.

"You dry." she handed him a towel after he set them down.

"Alright." he nodded.

They fell silent as she washed and passed the wet dish to him. They only spoke when she was telling him where to put something up.

The silence was part enjoyable and part maddening to Inuyasha. He was happy that she wasn't yelling at him and that she was comfortable around him. But it was driving him mad that she wasn't talking about it!

She finished the dishes without saying a word and took his towel to wipe off the table and he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Please." he pleaded a bit. "Just...say whatever it is you wanted to say."

"What do you mean, dear?" she asked wiping down the table.

"You got me alone to talk, didn't you?" he asked.

"No, dear." she smiled at him. "I wanted you to help me with the dishes so Kagome wouldn't volunteer. She's pregnant now and needs to get used to taking it easy until the baby is born."

"But..." had he been wrong? Inuyasha was sure she wanted to talk to him. "Then why did Kagome lure Souta away?"

"She actually needed help getting those boxes." she assured him as she set the towel down on the counter. "They can be quite heavy. Or did you like walking around half naked?"

Inuyasha shook his head, a bit flabbergasted. "So...you _don't _want to talk about the pup?"

"Pup?" she repeated. "Oh, the baby. Well, I always want to talk about my grand-baby. But I guess that's not what you meant, huh?"

Inuyasha looked away, uncertain of himself.

"It's a bit soon for Kagome to be pregnant." she admitted. "At least by this time's standards. But Kagome is hardly a modern girl anymore. For your time, she's past the point where most girls would have had a baby or two. Am I wrong?"

He shook his head. "I know you're happy about a baby. But...me...I...?"

"When she was little," she said petting her son-in-laws cheek, "I prayed that one day she would find a good man. A man who could protect her but trust her to stand on her own. A man who she could depend on and who would depend on her. A man she could love and trust with all her heart and who would love and trust her in return. I never said I wanted him to be a specific race or ethnicity. I just wanted her to be happy with him and he be happy with her. You are happy with her, aren't you?"

"Of course." Inuyasha said immediately.

"Then I'm happy with you two." she reached out and hugged him tight. "I welcome you into my family with open arms, Inuyasha dear. Never question that. Kagome knows who is good for her, I trust her."

Inuyasha smiled a bit and relaxed into her embrace. It was a mother's embrace, an embrace he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

"Thank you."

XXXXXXXXX

"Here, dear." Mama Higurashi passed Kagome some warm tea as she came out of the kitchen, her own cup in her hand. "Where's Inuyasha?"

"Thanks." Kagome took it with a smile. "He's out with Souta playing fe-I mean catch."

"How nice." her mother sat beside her. The TV was on but the sound was low and neither were really paying attention.

"I don't know what you said to him, but thanks." Kagome smiled at her mother. She had removed Inuyasha's robe and returned it to him along with a new white _kosode_ she and Souta had dug up. Tetsaiga was resting by the back door with an umbrella and she had put on some comfy pajamas instead.

"I didn't really say anything." she smiled, taking a sip of tea. "Just pointed out the obvious."

"He can be a bit dense." Kagome said lovingly, staring into her tea.

"How long will you be staying?" her mother asked.

"Inuyasha wants me to stay here until Naraku is gone." Kagome said. "I don't know how long that will be though."

"Naraku...He's the man we all hate, right?" her mother asked. It was kind of hard keeping track of all these people she had never met and only ever heard about.

"Right." Kagome nodded. It was odd, telling her mother what went on in the Fuedal Era. Not because of the 500 year time difference. Not at all. It was odd because it felt no different than telling her about what had happened at school that day. "He's worried about what Naraku would do if he found out I got pregnant. I am too, truth be told."

Her mother nodded. "I understand that."

"He'll be leaving here soon, though." Kagome said. "For about three days. Tetsaiga has a crack that he wants fixed. If Tetsaiga is broken, he can't use it. And he's strong without it but he needs it to defeat Naraku."

"He's gotta do what he's gotta do." her mother agreed. "While he's gone, I'll take you to the doctor for a check up."

Kagome almost protested. Inuyasha should be there for anything involving the baby. But a hospital with all of the chemical scents and sick people would be a nice little slice of hell to him. It would be better for him not to go. So she closed her mouth and nodded. "We'll get a sonogram picture and show it to him. I wonder what he'll think."

"Probably something along the lines of 'what's that little black and white dot'." her mother laughed.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Nice catch!" Souta cried. What had started out as a standard game of toss and catch had quickly turned into an extreme version of fetch.

Souta would throw the ball as hard, as high, as fast as he could and Inuyasha would go after it before tossing it back. It was fun and driving the ten year old boy to giggles at the impossible catches the half-demon could make.

"Too easy." Inuyasha tossed the ball back as he got ready for the next pitch.

"You're going to be a great dad." Souta remarked in an off hand way as he threw the ball up high.

But Inuyasha didn't leap after it and the ball bounced back to earth. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha blinked, pulled from his thoughts. "Oh, uh, nothing."

"You totally blanked out there." Souta said walking to his side. "What did I say?"

"You..." Inuyasha hesitated. "You really think I'll be a good father?"

"Are you kidding?" Souta beamed. "You'll be the greatest dad ever!"

Inuyasha blinked then smirked. "Oh, yeah?"

The boy nodded energetically. "I know it!"

"So, you're excited Kagome's pregnant?" Inuyasha asked feeling a bit insecure again.

Souta nodded again. "I knew it would happen sooner or later. I'm happy for both of you."

Inuyasha laughed once, quietly. "You're a bit mature for your age, kid."

"That's what they say." Souta grinned. "Want to play more ball or go inside and bug Kagome?"

"Bug?" Inuyasha asked, not familiar with the term. "Kagome doesn't like bugs."

"I meant annoy." Souta clarified. "Want to go annoy my sister?"

"No way." Inuyasha said seriously. "When she gets annoyed I get a face full of dirt."


	13. Modern Talks Part 2

**Modern Talks Part 2**

"Press A, press A!" Souta encouraged as Inuyasha was losing badly at the video game they were playing.

"I _am_ pressing A." Inuyasha growled thinking that if only his opponent were here and not inside the damn TV box he would kick his ass easy.

"You're not pressing A, you're pressing X." Souta shook his head as Inuyasha's guy got K..

On the couch, Kagome laughed. "Nice try, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha scoffed as he passed the controller back to Souta and stood up. "Do you need anything, Kagome?"

Kagome shook her head and Inuyasha sat beside her. Automatically, she curled into his side and they watched as Souta completely dominated the game.

Gramps, still ignoring Inuyasha and, to an extent, Kagome, had already went to bed. After warning them not to stay up too late, Mama Higurashi had went to bed as well.

Inuyasha's former tension and apprehension had all but disappeared. He would really have to talk to their grandfather before he left, but he wasn't worried about it anymore. Whatever objections the old man had was obviously not connected to his half demon blood. And anything else, he could deal with.

"You should go to bed." Kagome said as Souta yawned causing his opponent to get a hit in.

"I'm not _that_ tired." Souta protested even as he yawned again.

"It's late and you _are_ that tired." Kagome smiled. Pregnancy was doing wonders for her. She felt so much calmer and happy than she would have before. Of course, if it had been any old day and that night at the inn had never happened, she would either be cramming for some kind of test or sleeping outdoors.

As it was, she didn't have to worry about either for the foreseeable future. She had already decided to quit school. People would be giving her all kinds of looks the more pregnant she got and, after the baby was born, she wouldn't have time for school work anyway.

"You should go to bed." Inuyasha agreed. "Kids grow when they sleep. If you don't go to sleep, you'll end up short for the rest of your life."

Under threat of being short, Souta turned off his game and bid them good night.

"How did you know that?" Kagome asked him. It was true that you grew in your sleep, but human growth hormone wouldn't have been heard of in his time.

"That's what my mother used to tell me when I wouldn't go to sleep." Inuyasha shrugged. "It always worked on me."

Kagome thought it was a wonder he would ever question about whether or not he would make a good parent as she snuggled closer to him. "What was your mother like?" She had asked him before about the subject but his mother was always a soft topic for him.

However, this time, he answered, "Mom was great. She always tried to do her best by me. But, sometimes, she just seemed...sad."

"Because you were bullied?" Kagome asked.

"That." he agreed. "But, I think, sometimes she just missed my old man." He squeezed her a bit. "You know I wont leave you. Right?"

"I know." Kagome smiled. "Come on. Let's go to bed too."

He followed her to the base of the staircase but stopped when he heard a door open.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, turning halfway up the stairs. She hadn't heard anything.

"Uh, nothing." He smiled reassuringly. "You go on up. I've got...got to do something real quick."

She looked like she was about to ask why. But instead, she smiled and said, "Sure. Just come on up to bed when you're ready."

Inuyasha nodded and watched as she climbed the stairs and went into her room.

It was only after her door had shut that he turned and followed the sound of shuffled footsteps into the kitchen.

Gramps was in there, putting the kettle of water on the indoor camp fire they had. Making tea before he went to sleep.

Inuyasha gathered his courage and took a deep breath. "Look, can we talk?"

"Oh, now you want to talk?" he asked sharply, not turning around.

"I've wanted to talk to you all day. You've been avoiding me." Inuyasha pointed out.

"Well, I have nothing to say to you." the old man said as he got out a cup and a tea bag.

"I know your mad." Inuyasha continued calmly. The night was still and quiet around them. "And, since everyone is saying that Kagome is a bit young to have a child, I can guess why."

"Oh, can you now?" the eldest Higurashi turned and glared at the demon boy. "You understand exactly why I am so mad that you knocked up my granddaughter?"

"Knocked up?" Inuyasha repeated. From the context, he could guess what the word meant but Gramps defined it anyway.

"Got her pregnant." he snarled the best he could and, even considering he was half Inuyasha's size and barely a fraction of his strength, it was actually a bit intimidating.

"It was an accident." Inuyasha said. "But that doesn't mean I'm not happy. I'm sorry that you think she's too young-"

"That's not it!" the elder threw the cup in his hands at his and it shattered against Inuyasha's forehead. It didn't hurt, but Inuyasha got the message loud and clear. "Kagome is mature for her age and if she feels she's ready then I'm behind her 100%! My problem is you!"

Inuyasha felt an icy spear of fear slice through his belly. Had he been wrong? Was it his half-breed blood that the man hated after all?

"Are you ready to be a father?" the old man asked easing Inuyasha's fears. "Are you truly ready for everything fatherhood means?"

Inuyasha hesitated and this time got a kettle to the head. The water that was hot but not yet boiling spilled all over him and the kettle bounced away.

"You hesitate!" the man accused. "Meaning you aren't ready! Do you even have a way to support those two? A job? A house?"

Inuyasha said nothing because, honestly, he had neither.

"And you wonder why I am angry." the old man spat.

He stomped out, not caring that he didn't have any tea, leaving Inuyasha dripping, his ears drooping, in the room alone.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Inuyasha?" Kagome came into the kitchen, a bit worried. He had never come up to bed that night.

"Hey." Inuyasha said quietly. He was sitting at the kitchen table. He had already cleaned up the shards of the cup, put the kettle back on the counter, and wiped up the water. There was no evidence about what had transpired last night except the dejected look on his face.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome went to him and tilted his head to look up at her.

He forced a small smile onto his face. "Nothing. Did you sleep well?"

"Uh, yes. But-" Kagome wanted to press the issue but he stood and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"I love you." he said softly. "You know that, right?"

"Of course." Kagome looked puzzled.

"And, you trust me. Right?" he asked.

Kagome nodded.

"Good. Good." he pulled her into his arms and held her close.

"Inuyasha, what happened?" Kagome asked, worried.

"Nothing." he lied. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Good morning." Mama Higurashi smiled as she walked in. "Who wants breakfast?"

"Nothing for me, thanks." Kagome said as Inuyasha loosened his hold on her but didn't let her go. "I'm feeling kind of queasy this morning."

"Want some crackers?" her mother asked. "It'll help."

"Sure." Kagome nodded.

"I should probably go after breakfast." Inuyasha said. "I need to get Tetsaiga fixed. I'll be back soon though."

"Well, let's get a good meal before you go." Mama Higurashi smiled .

Halfway through her making breakfast, Souta came downstairs smiling and energetic from a good nights sleep.

Inuyasha heard Gramps get up as well but he ignored the family in the kitchen, grabbed his straw broom, and went outside to sweep the grounds without food.

Inuyasha tried not to let it bother him but his ears drooped despite that. Kagome didn't say anything to him but she took his hand in hers under the table as she conversed with her brother.

Everyone didn't say anything about it but Inuyasha still knew that, because of him, that old man didn't want to eat at his own table. He would have left it out of respect but Kagome kept her hand tight around his, keeping him there.

He almost felt too guilty to eat but he knew if he didn't he would hurt Mama Higurashi's feelings. So he ate then walked with the family as they all walked to the well house.

"Here, dear." Mama Higurashi passed him his sword. "Safe journey."

"Thanks." Inuyasha put the sword in his waist.

"Come back soon." Souta smiled.

Inuyasha nodded.

Kagome went into his arms and hugged him close. "You'll be safe, right?"

Inuyasha smiled and took a deep breath of her sweet scent. "I'll be fine. I'll be back in three days. I promise."

Kagome pulled back and smiled.

Inuyasha looked over her head and saw Gramps sweeping the walk way, his back to them.

"I'll be back." he said to them and walked towards the old man. They kept back, smiling and giving him his privacy.

"Hey." he said.

"I have nothing else to say to you." the old man said, stubborn.

"Then just listen because I have something to say." Inuyasha said firmly. He wasn't the type to run from his problems. He preferred to face them head on, claws and fangs bared ready to fight for what he wanted. He didn't consider this any different.

The old man didn't reply so Inuyasha went on with his point.

"I don't have a house." Inuyasha admitted. "And no, I don't have a way to earn money. The only thing I know how to do is fight. But before now, that was the only thing I needed to know. I want you to know that I am going to do everything I can to provide for both of them. I'm going to build a house for us to live. I'll make sure she's happy.

"And no, I'm not ready to be a father. I've spent my entire life looking after myself but I've spent the last few months looking after Kagome too. I'm getting used to not putting myself first. It might take me a while but I'm going to be ready. I have a few months to get prepared. I'm going to be ready." he assured him. "I don't regret what happened. At all. And I'm going to do everything in my power to protect her. You have my word on that."

Gramps, without turning to look at him, lifted his broom and walked away, inside the house.

Inuyasha sighed but turned and went back to the waiting people.

Kagome automatically opened her arms and took him into them.

"Come back soon." she told him.

Inuyasha nodded and they held onto each other for a moment.

Kagome let go first. "Go. Come back soon, alright?"

Inuyasha nodded and swept her hair out of her face.

He turned to go inside the well house but a voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

All four of them turned as Gramps came out of the house again, a small, long box in his hands.

"Daddy?" Mama Higurashi said.

Gramps walked past them and stopped in front of Inuyasha.

He opened the box and showed them what was nestled inside on a velvet inlay.

It was a simple silver chain necklace. But on the end of it was a net of silver that was circle decoratively around a circular blue gem about half the size of the Shikon Jewel.

"What's that?" Inuyasha asked.

"This is an ancient talisman passed down through the Higurashi family." the old man smiled with pride at the necklace. "The Higurashi men have been giving this to their pregnant women for centuries. It's a ward against evil."

"Daddy!" Mama Higurashi looked ecstatic.

"Take it." the old man said.

Knowing what he meant, Inuyasha gently picked up the jewelry from its resting place. He walked over to Kagome and slipped it over her head. He knew the old man well. The necklace was probably just old. There was probably nothing spiritually powerful about it. He certainly couldn't smell anything powerful about the old silver.

But that the old man would pass it on to him so he could slip it about Kagome's neck was his way of accepting him and it meant the world to Inuyasha.

Kagome pulled her hair out of the chain and the charm dipped under her shirt and out of sight.

"Stay safe." he told her as he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.

He smiled at his new family before going into the well house and jumping into the well.


	14. Lead

**Lead**

"Thank you, good monk." the headman bowed low to Miroku again.

He had blessed the body and prepared her for burial. Since no one knew who exactly she was, they didn't want to offend her in any way. Her body would be buried the next morning while he and Sango watched over it tonight. It had been so long since her rather violent death that there was a chance her soul had already become restless and demonic. Miroku needed to stay around to make sure it stayed calm and Sango was around in case her violent death turned her into a demon.

After her burial in the morning, he and Sango would take their leave back to their village.

But, for the moment, they were eating beside the body, trying not to let the smell of cooked human flesh bother them as they ate.

"How do you think Kagome is doing?" Sango asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm sure Lady Kagome is doing fine." Miroku smiled. "She has Inuyasha. And her time's medical knowledge is much more extensive than ours is.

"That's true." Sango nodded. "I just have a bad feeling."

"About what?" Miroku asked rhetorically, smiling. "She will be perfectly fine. You seem to forget that that baby is not completely human. It has Inuyasha's blood in his veins. Any child of his is going to be fine."

That seemed to cheer Sango up. "You're right. Don't know what I was-"

"Sango!" Miroku cut her off.

He had taken a glance at the body and, to his horror, he saw the blue-white pulsing soul exiting her mouth and floating into the air.

"Her soul?" Sango jumped to her feet.

The soul did a few lazy circles in the air before floating out of the room.

Sango and Miroku charged after it and burst from the room just in time to see a pale soul collector grab it in it's six spindly little legs.

"A soul collector?" Sango looked shocked. "That means that Kikyo is here."

"Follow it." Miroku said thanking Buddha that Inuyasha and Kagome weren't around at the moment. He didn't know what would come of him meeting her, but he was sure that it wouldn't be good.

"Why are we chasing that thing?" Sango asked as they entered into the surrounding woods and had to jump and swerve to avoid trees and roots.

"We did promise to make sure her soul remains at peace." Miroku answered. "We need to get it back if only for that."

"Admit it, chasing after Kikyo has just become second nature." Sango rolled her eyes. She had never really liked Kikyo. She sympathized for her awful death and the terrible circumstances around it. But, to be honest, Kagome was her friend and Kikyo had only ever hurt her so Sango felt no affection, or any real good feelings at all, for the dead priestess.

XXXXXXXXX

Kikyo was resting, not really thinking or moving, just laying in her tree. The cool air blowing her hair around gently wasn't all that cold to her dead, unfeeling body.

However, it was nice feeling the wind's caress over her skin as it blew past her as the gentle whispers of her soul collectors filled the air and the creatures curled and uncurled in the air around her.

It was times like these, when the cool night air and fresh scent of vegetation was all around her that Kikyo felt most at peace. She emptied her mind, almost meditated, and just relaxed and listened to the sounds of the forest around her.

To be truthful, Kikyo missed death. There was a certain peace in the other world that she hadn't been able to find here, alive. Given the circumstances of her demise, believing the man she loved had betrayed and killed her, the darkness of death was a welcome thing.

To be pulled from it, to be forced to live again, to feel that pain again, was the most horrid thing she could imagine. She couldn't wait until the day she could return to death's sweet embrace again.

But she wasn't ready to die yet either. As the protector, former protector she reminded herself, of the Shikon Jewel, it was her job to make sure it stayed pure and out of the hands of those who would use it for evil. That alone, however, wouldn't be enough to keep her alive. After all, she had a reincarnation that, while extremely weak and neglectfully untrained, still had great potential. That girl could deal with the situation and Kikyo would have left her to it, it wasn't her problem anymore, and returned to death.

Except that the person who tainted the Jewel now was the same wicked half demon that had caused her so much pain both before and, horribly, after her death.

Naraku.

Knowing that he had made such a fool of her, had caused her to hate the man she loved, had stolen her life away all made Kikyo know she couldn't die until she knew she would be meeting him in Hell.

And this time, when she died, Inuyasha would come with her as he was meant to do. She refused to die without him.

Her mind was so clear and free that she didn't even notice that she had accidentally let down her barrier.

And the only warning Kikyo got was the sudden increase of her soul collectors' whispers.

Then the monk and demon slayer that traveled with Inuyasha burst forth into her clearing, chasing one of the soul collectors she had sent out to fetch her her life sustaining souls.

"Kikyo." the monk said, breathing hard.

"Inuyasha's companions, correct?" Kikyo asked as the soul collector twisted around her before dropping the soul into her body.

There was a moment, a brief moment, where the soul resisted joining with her. All souls did. Not that Kikyo blamed them. She knew what it was to long for death and have it evade you. But the moment was only a second before it joined with the others. Kikyo always needed new souls because she tried not to keep them for too long. She released them eventually so they could go onto the peaceful realms.

If she wanted, she needed only harvest a few and just use them continuously. But Kikyo had not become such a horrid woman as that. She used them only as long as she needed to before letting them go.

"Inuyasha isn't with us." the demon slayer girl said crossing her arms in obvious disdain for Kikyo.

"I know." Kikyo nodded. "They would have told me if he was nearby." she waved a hand to her soul collectors that were calming down after being so rudely interrupted in the play by the two. "I am curious as to why you two aren't without him."

"We separated for personal reasons." the monk said vaguely truly piking Kikyo's interest. What was it he didn't want to tell her. "We were charged with watching that soul you just stole."

"You failed." Kikyo said dryly.

"Did you hear of an explosion nearby?" the monk asked before Kikyo could tell them to leave her in peace.

"I did." Kikyo said, her face not betraying any emotion. She had come because she thought it might be the work of Naraku but it was obvious at a glance that it hadn't been.

"A demon escaped alive from it, we think." the slayer girl looked unhappy at having to address her. "Did you notice anything?"

Kikyo was silent for a moment. She was debating about whether or not to answer them. She almost told them 'no' and sent them away. She owed them nothing, after all. However, she did want to know why Inuyasha wasn't around them anymore. Information flowed more freely when it flowed in both directions.

"I noticed demonic blood." she admitted. "It went further east away from the sight. I didn't consider it important enough to follow. From the amount, I imagine the demon is dead by now anyway."

The monk and woman exchanged a glance, an entire conversation being held in just one look. The monk turned back. "Thank you very much, Lady Kikyo. We'll leave you alone."

"Wait." Kikyo stopped them before they could turn away. "Where is Inuyasha?"

XXXXXXXXX

"Totosai!" Inuyasha called out as he entered the giant skeleton that was the swordsmith's home in the semi-dormant volcano. "You home?"

"Oh, it's you." Tototai came closer from inside. "What are you doing here?"

"I need you to fix Tetsaiga." Inuyasha drew the blade and threw it over to the creator. Totosai, as far as Inuyasha could tell, was the only full demon immune to the blade's barrier. Then again, he _did_ create it so it wasn't that surprising.

"What did you do!" Totosai wailed in horror as she drew the blade. It transformed easily in his hands revealing the large crack. "My poor sword!"

"Yeah, yeah. Spare me the sobs." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I'm in a bit of a hurry. So can you just fix it already?"

"I'm not a magic worker!" Totosai snapped. "You need to stop breaking my poor creation."

"Your poor creation broke doing exactly what you designed it to do." Inuyasha said. "So just take a fang and fix it."

"Do you see the size of this crack!" Totosai showed it to him. "This is even bigger than when you snapped it in half."

"You can fix it, can't you?" Inuyasha asked, feeling a bit worried.

"Of course I can!" Totosai put the sword back in it's sheath. "But I'll need two fangs, not just one."

"Master Inuyasha!" A tiny voice squeaked as Totosai started looking for the tool to yank fangs with.

"Hey, Myoga." Inuyasha greeted as the tiny flea landed on his shoulder.

"What _did_ you do to Tetsaiga, Master Inuyasha?" Myoga asked as they looked at the sword back in it's rusted form. The crack wasn't so obvious in that form, but it was still noticeable.

"It saved our lives by blocking an explosion." Inuyasha said as Totosai mumbled darkly about how much he didn't care for the blade.

"'our'?" Myoga repeated. "Oh, you mean Miss Kagome?"

"And the baby." Inuyasha's tone was offhanded but the affect on the old men was instant.

"Baby?" Totosai repeated, pausing in his search. "What baby?"

"My baby." Inuyasha smirked in pride. "Kagome is pregnant."

The silence only lasted for a moment. Then Myoga hollered in joy as Totosai fell on his butt in surprise.

"Oh, happy day!" Myoga bounced in excitement.

"_Your_ baby?" Totosai shook his head. "Oh, no..."

"Hey!" Inuyasha snapped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Be happy Totosai!" Myoga beamed. "This is so exciting. I always love new babies in the family."

Inuyasha, much more pleased with Myoga's reaction than Totosai's, nodded in agreement.

"So, what'll it be?" Totosai asked as he spotted the pliers and stood to grab them.

"What will what be?" Inuyasha was confused.

"The sealing device, of course." Totosai said as Myoga nodded in agreement.

"Sealing device?" Inuyasha blinked.

"Like your Tetsaiga, Master Inuyasha." Myoga explained. "The demon blood that your father passed onto you is too much for your human blood to handle, particularly in extreme crisis. You will passing down that blood onto your child. They'll need something to protect them from it as well."

"Oh, I didn't think of that." Inuyasha admitted. But it was a good idea.

"So, a sword?" Totosai asked.

Even as he asked, Inuyasha knew he didn't want a sword for his pup. He didn't want the first gift he ever gave his pup to be something to fight with. He never wanted any child of his to fight as he had to fight.

Besides...

"No." Inuyasha shook his head. "Something else."

"Like what?" Myoga asked.

"Something...pretty." Inuyasha smiled a bit. "I want my daughter to have something pretty."

"Daughter?" both old men repeated.

"How do you know it's a girl?" Totosai asked.

Inuyasha felt his eyes going soft. "I just...know."

Neither man said a thing for a moment.

Finally, Totosai said, softly. "You know, your father commissioned Tetsaiga to protect Lady Izayoi. When he found out about you, he brought it back to change it's nature, make it a sealing device. When I asked why he wanted a sword, he said 'Sesshomaru has a fang from me, I wish my next son to have a fang from me as well'. When I asked how he knew it was a boy, he said, right where you're standing, the exact same thing. 'I just know'."

Inuyasha felt a sort of strange sense of connection to his father at that moment.

"Oh, Master." Myoga teared up a bit.

"So, something pretty, huh?" Totosai scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I haven't done jewelry since my apprenticeship. But I think I could make a nice necklace or-"

"A bracelet." Inuyasha cut him off, completely sure. "I want her to have a bracelet."

"All right." Totosai nodded, a design already forming in his head. "That will take maybe a fang and a half. How about jewels?"

"Sure." Inuyasha nodded, eagerly.

"I'll need you to fetch them while I make the bracelet and fix Tetsaiga." the old man said.

"Of course." Inuyasha beamed. "What do you need?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"I said, where is Inuyasha?" Kikyo repeated.

The monk and slayer woman shared another one of those looks that spoke volumes more than words.

"That's not really-" the monk stared.

"-your business at all." the slayer finished. Kikyo was a bit surprised at the vehemence in her voice. Then again, she had never really conversed at all with the woman, she certainly couldn't expect all of Inuyasha's companions to like her or treat her with a degree of respect like the monk did.

The look he gave the woman was both a bit horrified that she said it so bluntly and a bit of sympathy, for whom, Kikyo wasn't quite sure.

"It is my business, actually." Kikyo corrected her. "Where is he?"

"Sango..." the monk said deliberately, obviously trying to keep her from saying exactly what she wanted to say.

But from the look the woman shot him, Kikyo wasn't sure he ever had a chance of censoring her.

"He's with Kagome." the slayer woman said. "Protecting her and the baby."

Kikyo felt a strange swoop of terror in her belly. "Baby? What baby?"

She prayed, as hard as she could in the second before the woman responded, that the answer wouldn't be exactly what she knew it was.

"Inuyasha and Kagome's baby, of course." the slayer woman looked a bit smug. "Kagome is pregnant. Inuyasha is the father."


	15. Doctor

**Doctor**

"You never did tell me your name, dear." Naraku smiled charmingly as Kanna nursed the woman's wounds.

"Seitekina." she said in a monotone. She hadn't been feeling well since Naraku had taken her heart from her chest. True, him holding it meant her body was kept alive despite the extensive damage. But her body, her soul, felt hollow and empty. All her emotions were deadened slightly. Even the love she had held for her mate was slightly dimmed.

The only emotion that wasn't, was the need for vengeance upon that half demon scum. That hatred enabled her to survive anything.

"Seitekina." he repeated. "How pretty. How are you feeling?"

"Better." she spoke softly. This castle the man called his home was filled with some kind of thick, poisonous gas. It wasn't in this room so she could stay alive but she knew she was completely surrounded by it.

"Are you able to talk strategy?" Naraku asked politely. If there was one thing he was good at, it was being charming. He always knew how to get exactly what he wanted.

Seitekina was laid out on the floor, completely nude. However, the look wasn't attractive. Her skin that wasn't ripped away was burned and nearly destroyed.

It almost made Naraku nostalgic.

He knew she was a succubus and that sexual energy was her food. But, considering she hadn't had sex in a long time, she was probably starving. He had been contemplating what to do about it. No human would lay with her as she was, a demon might accidentally hurt her by being too rough with her delicate body. He supposed he could have a pair mate before her, let her gather energy that way. But, as he understood it, that method required _using _a bit of energy first. She didn't have any to spare.

That left him only one option.

But that could wait.

First...

"I have many enemies besides the half demon Inuyasha." he started. "If you help me with them, I'll-"

"No deal." she said sharply. "Unless you can bring my beloved back, there's nothing you have that I want. That demon or his mate are the only things I want. Preferably both."

"You mean the woman called Kagome." Naraku told her. She was obstinent. And, unfortunately, she was right. He had nothing she wanted. He had shown her the jewel he had collected so far but she had been unimpressed. He had her heart, but killing her wouldn't be a punishment. Not really.

All she wanted was those two damn people who gave him such trouble.

"Very well." he acquiesced. "Kagome and Inuyasha are yours to kill. But, as I said, they are not the only ones after me. Now that you have a bit of my scent on you, they'll all be after you as well."

"Your point?" she asked as Kanna finished rubbing salve on her ravaged flesh.

"My point is that I have a plan that, if you follow, will give you your revenge." he finished.

She thought it over for a moment. Naraku watched her consider what she wanted and weigh it against what he was asking.

Finally, she said, "Very well. I'll follow your orders for now. But if it doesn't get me closer to killing those two, I'll just tell your enemies where you can be found. And, I'll need you to get something for me from a friend."

Naraku chuckled a bit at the threat. He had no doubt she would carry it out, but if she thought he was that easy to find, she was sadly mistaken.

"Name what you need and it shall be yours. Now," he reached up and began undressing as Kanna left the room silently, "you need energy."

She nodded and spread her legs the best she could.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"That was completely uncalled for." Miroku chastised Sango as they walked through the blast sight, looking for the blood trail Kikyo had described.

"What was?" Sango asked, her focus on the ground.

"Telling Kikyo like that." he said firmly.

"I didn't hear you complaining then." Sango was completely sure of her decision.

After hearing their words, Kikyo had fallen silent before waving them away, in a bit of a daze.

"I wasn't going to call you out in front of her." he said, getting a bit frustrated with her. "For one thing we're _trying_ to keep this pregnancy a secret from Naraku. Kikyo has already given him jewel shards she took from Kagome, what makes you think she wont hand him this information."

Sango rolled her eyes. "She's not going to tell. She hasn't fallen that far."

"And it wasn't her business, as you said." Miroku continued. "She didn't need to know and if she did Inuyasha should have been the one to tell her."

She shrugged carelessly. "Oops."

"And, if you just _had_ to tell her, you could have done it with a bit more tact." he finished. "You were quite cruel in saying it that way."

"Why do you care?" she asked sharply. "What has that woman ever done for us?

"Sango, that isn't fair." Miroku said. "Kikyo is a lost and hurt soul who-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sango snapped. "I've heard it all before. How come nobody ever sympathizes with _Kagome_ in this situation? She hurts just as much about these things."

"Yes, but-"

"No 'but's!" Sango cut him off angrily. "Kagome is our friend, not Kikyo. We need to be on her side, not Kikyo's."

"You are on Kagome's side." Miroku pointed out. "I am on Inuyasha's. Or do you think he doesn't deserve that?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Sango turned away from him and went back to searching.

"And if Inuyasha knew what you did, he would be quite angry and put out." Miroku continued.

"Miroku-"

"Furthermore," he raised his voice over hers, "Lady Kagome, bless her heart, knew what she agreed to when she came back to Inuyasha's side all that time ago."

"Miroku."

"_And," _he spoke over her again, "what you did was just wrong! You need to stop being such a-"

"Miroku!" Sango shouted over him, shutting him up.

"What?" he asked.

"Look." Sango pointed to the blood trail that, once found, was quite obvious. It led further into the forest.

"Oh..." he deflated a bit. "Well, let's go."

Sango rolled her eyes and shook her head as they started following it.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Lord Sesshomaru, look!" Rin held up the fish she just caught in pride.

"Rin!" Jaken, who stood safe and dry on the riverbank, snapped at her. "Lord Sesshomaru has no time for your meaningless fish."

"I wasn't talking to _you_, Master Jaken!" Rin told him.

Sesshomaru was sitting beneath a tree, watching them because they were the only things moving.

As the two of them started arguing, Sesshomaru looked away into the sky.

It had been a while since he had found any sign of Naraku.

There had been a rumor about some kind of explosion not far from where he was but he knew better than to go check it out. Naraku didn't cause explosions, at least not close enough that it might potentially harm him. The man was such a coward he probably couldn't actually use a weapon if he had one.

That such a useless creature constantly evaded him caused Sesshomaru no end of annoyance.

When he looked back over at his wards, Jaken had somehow been tricked into fishing while Rin sat on the riverbank, her fish still cradled in her arms.

"-how you do it!" Jaken finished saying. However, when he went to grab the fish, he slipped, fell, and came up coughing with a face full of mud.

Rin laughed at him as she stood up and ran to Sesshomaru's side.

"See, my Lord?" she held it up for his inspection.

It was actually a good sized fish. More than enough to feed her.

"Good." he nodded.

"Can I build a fire to cook it?" she asked sweetly.

"Hurry up." he told her. "We're leaving again shortly."

"Yes, my Lord!" she beamed as she set her fish down lovingly before running off to father a few sticks.

Jaken, sputtering and coughing, climbed out of the water, shaking the water off himself. "Worthless little-"

"Jaken." Sesshomaru didn't raise his voice. But, then again, he didn't have to.

"S-Sorry, my Lord." Jaken looked away, afraid he had angered Sesshomaru. His master got strangely protective over the little human chit. "Wh-where shall we be heading next?"

Sesshomaru thought it over for a second. "We'll continue east."

"Very good, my Lord." Jaken nodded in agreement.

"What's in the east?" Rin asked, coming back to them, her arms full of twigs and sticks.

"That would be where that worthless Inuyasha keeps a home." Jaken informed her, his voice superior.

"Wow, really?"Rin looked impressed at his knowledge. "But why are we going after Lord Sesshomaru's brother?"

Taking a second to think about how much trouble he would get in for referring to Inuyasha as 'Lord Sesshomaru's brother', Jaken said, "Well, he might have some clue I suppose. He hunts for that Naraku as well."

"Jaken." Sesshomaru's next warning made Jaken flinch as if Sesshomaru had struck him.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, why were you concerned about the baby again?" the doctor asked as they watched the perfectly healthy pre-baby on the sonogram monitor.

"Oh, no reason." Kagome lied smoothly. "Just, mother's nerves kicking in already I guess."

Beside her, Mama Higurashi smiled, supportive of her daughter.

"Well, the baby is perfect." The doctor assured her. "Would you like a picture?"

"Yes!" Kagome said immediately, not caring how eager she sounded at that.

"All right, I'll have one printed off in a sec." he smiled at her. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Perfect." Kagome assured him as he put a paper towel on her belly so she could wipe off the jell.

"Well, if you need me, I'm always here." he patted her arm comfortingly. "You feel like something is wrong, just call. Or ask your mom, I'm sure she'll be happy to help."

"Of course." Mama Higurashi agreed.

"The nurse will have your picture." he continued, standing up. "Get it from her when you leave."

"Thank you, doctor." Kagome smiled as she sat up.

"Will you need a note for school or anything?" he asked.

"No." Kagome shook her head. She had already visited the school that morning and quit. There was really no point to it anymore.

Quitting hadn't been nearly as hard as she thought it would be. She was sure she would feel remorse, shame, maybe a bit of regret. But no. She had been perfectly happy as she and her mother filled out the necessary paperwork. She knew what she wanted her life to be now and she couldn't wait to start living it.

And today was the end of the third day. She was going to wait for Inuyasha on the other side of the well.

Not because she didn't want to wait for him on this side. But she really wanted a quiet moment before they joined her family again.

Besides, she wouldn't stray far from the well. If she felt any kind of demonic presence, she would jump right back in. It would be perfectly safe.

As she and her mother walked out, her glossy new photo of her soon-to-be fetus in her hands, Kagome realized just how close her new life was.

"Oh, my..." she gasped as she and her mom walked to their car.

"What is it?" Mama Higurashi asked.

"I just realized." Kagome laughed in excitement. "It just hit me. I'm going to be a mother. Holy cow!" She laughed and spun in a few happy circles. "This is the greatest day ever! Well, it's a close se...third."

Mama Higurashi laughed. "I know the feeling, dear. Now, let's go. We'll get something sweet on the way home."

"Yay." Kagome laughed as she followed her mother into the vehicle.


	16. Fire

**Fire**

"Be careful, dear." Mama Higurashi said as Kagome approached the well.

"I'll be fine." Kagome promised. "I'm going to wait for him right on the edge of the well. If anything happens, I'll fall right in, okay?"

Mama Higurashi nodded. "I trust you, dear."

Kagome climbed over the lip of the well and looked down into the dark bottom that was her portal to her second home.

It was at times like these she always felt a sort of vertigo. Everything in her rebelled at the idea of jumping almost fifteen feet into a dry well. It was an instinctive reaction.

But she knew, just beyond that dirt, lay some kind of transportation device. She didn't know what it was, how it worked, or even why. But the important thing was that it did.

She reached up and stroked the smooth silver of her and Inuyasha's amulet. She doubted it was even worth the silver it was made of. But it was the symbolism that counted. And her grandpa passed it on to Inuyasha to pass onto her. Just as Higurashi men had doing for centuries.

Kagome turned back to her mother and smiled. "Bye, mom. I'll be back soon."

"See you soon." Mama Higurashi waved as Kagome pushed herself off the wood of the well and fell.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I swear if you break this again I'm sheathing it in _you_!" Totosai growled as he threw the newly repaired Tetsaiga at Inuyasha.

"Great!" Inuyasha drew and transformed it. There wasn't even a scar to show where the crack had been. And the thing wasn't any heavier either! Thank Kami for small miracles. "Wow, Totosai! You really out did yourself. It's almost like the crack was never there."

"Yeah, well I'm the best." Totosai said with not a little pride. "Now, did you get what I sent you for?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha turned himself away from his perfected blade and back to the conversation. "Oh, yeah. Here." He put his hand into his robe and pulled out a bag that clicked as he moved it. He tossed it over to Totosai who caught it deftly mid-air.

The old man opened the sack and smiled, pleased. "Blood rubies from the Caves of Despair."

"And let me tell you, they call them the Caves of Despair for a reason." Inuyasha shook at the memory. Nothing overly terrible happened there but the feeling of dread and misery just seeped into your body the further in you went. By the time Inuyasha reached the rubies he was on the verge of just killing himself to end the misery. Thoughts of his daughter was the only thing that kept him going.

"Let me just finish the bracelet." Totosai turned to his already burning forge as he grabbed his hammer and closed the sack back up.

"Welcome back, Master Inuyasha." Myoga jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "What are your plans now?"

"I'm going back to Kagome." Inuyasha smiled a bit at the thought. "I promised I would only be gone three days. She's probably already waiting for me."

Both of them looked over when they heard the hammer slam down and the rubies crunched and shattered under the blow.

They watched silently as Totosai slammed his hammer down again and again until the rubies were nothing but dust in the specially created sack Totosai had him collect them in for just that reason.

Totosai, mumbling softly to himself, opened the bag, took a handful of the ruby dust, and threw it into the flames.

Flames that suddenly turned blue.

"What's he doing anyway?" Inuyasha asked Myoga. Totosai, he knew, would ignore him completely when working like this.

"I only saw him do this once before when he reforged Tetsaiga for you." Myoga said, sitting cross-legged and folding his four arms as he observed. "Your father had to collect blood rubies as well."

Totosai was still mumbling, a spell Inuyasha recognized dimly, picked up the half finished bracelet off his work table and tossed it into the fire. Immediately after, he threw in a chunk of adamant Inuyasha had to swim deep in the sea to fetch. Two pieces of amethyst Inuyasha had to slay a jewel hording dragon demon to retrieve. Then a handful of moon gems Inuyasha had traded a lock of his hair for with some weird demon lady who had found his hair fascinating. Inuyasha was pretty sure she was going to use it for some kind of spell. Lastly was the two fangs Inuyasha had surrendered for the project three days ago.

That was when the flames turned white.

Totosai took the last of the ruby dust and threw that in as well. There was no obvious reaction this time.

The sword smith took a deep breath, held it in his cheeks for a moment, then breathed it all out into the fire. Though red when it escaped his lips, the fire from his chest turned white as it merged with the magical blaze.

Then Inuyasha gasped as Totosai reached into the fire with his bare hands and began handling the jewelry.

"What's he doing?" Inuyasha gasped as the smell of burning flesh soaked the air.

"Totosai has a blood connection with all his creations." Myoga said, flinching despite his calm words. "Normally, a few drops will suffice. However, sealing devices are extremely magically powerful objects. It requires a more...hands on method."

Even as they watched, their faces clenched in pain, Totosai was fitting the gems into the beautiful silver that Inuyasha had mined himself at the base of Totosai's mountain. He had been told that fetching the ingredients himself would increase the power of the object.

But what he did was incredibly easy in comparison to sticking his limbs into white hot flames.

Myoga and Inuyasha turned their noses away from the smell of cooked flesh and let Totosai, who showed no signs of pain, work in peace.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sesshomaru paused as a new smell wafted to him on the breeze.

Jaken and Rin, who sat on Ah-Uhn, paused as well as they tilted their heads in curiosity.

Sesshomaru ignored him as he tried to catch that scent again.

It smelled like...

But surely that would be...

Well, not impossible he supposed. But surely even Inuyasha wouldn't be...

Well, he might be that stupid.

He caught the scent again and definitely recognized it. The smell of a human woman impregnated with a dog demon pup.

And there was only one woman with whom his brother would be idiotic enough to impregnate.

Or, more accurately, only one woman who would let his brother impregnate her.

Well, actually, two women would let his buffoon of blood kin impregnate her but since dead women couldn't get pregnant in the first place, that left only one.

"Uh...My Lord?" Jaken finally spoke up.

"Is something wrong, Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked.

Instead of responding, Sesshomaru took a slight turn and began following the scent. It was a sort of morbid curiosity that drove him forward.

After all, the human bitch Inuyasha traveled with seemed much more intelligent than his brother. Surely, she wouldn't have let his brother mount her in such a dangerous time with Naraku running around.

Well, apparently, she would. And he just couldn't stop himself from wondering why.

Simply morbid curiosity.  
>XXXXXXXXXX<p>

"Are you sure you're ready, Seitekina?" Naraku asked kindly. He was nude, not bothering to dress himself after the last time they had joined their bodies to give her energy.

"I said I'm fine." Seitekina grumbled as she pulled on a kimono.

Truthfully, she didn't like Naraku much. His sweet, charming demeanor was so fake it almost made her vomit.

However, she loved Kirai, her precious mate. She loved him more than anything. Without him, her world was dark, colorless, and bland. She would join him in death, but only after she killed those that killed him.

OOOOOOOOOO

"_Seite!"_

_Seitekina turned quickly and beamed as Kirai approached. A beautiful, large purple flower in his hand._

"_For you, my dearest love." he presented it to her, with a broad smile._

"_Oh, Kirai." Seitekina took it lovingly and breathed in it's sweet fragrance. "It smells beautiful."_

"_Of course." Kirai smiled charmingly. "I kept trying until I had a flower that smelled just like you."_

"_Kirai." Seitekina blushed a bit._

_She was a succubus, he was an incubus; sex was just part and parcel of what they did. If he wanted sex, all he had to do was ask and he would get it. Like a neighbor asking to borrow a cup or a pot. Nothing more._

_However, pretty words and romantic intentions. Those were a rare gem to her people._

"_I love you, Seitekina. With all my heart." Kirai smiled._

"_I love you, Kirai." she went into his arms and buried her face into his neck._

OOOOOOOOOO

Oh, yes, those bastards who killed him would pay and pay dearly, Seitekina thought as she tied her obi. Then she could finally end this horrid agony that was her life now and join her beloved in the after life.

"I know where both Inuyasha and Kagome are now and they are separated." Naraku said as Kanna came into the room. "Which would you like first?"

Seitekina almost blurted out Inuyasha. His claws, after all, were the ones that tore her dear love apart.

But no.

Death was no punishment. At least not one good enough to satisfy her.

No. What he needed was the same agony, the same torture, the same horrific knowledge that she had.

"Kagome." Seitekina said at last. "I will kill the woman first. Then bring her body to toss at that Inuyasha's feet."

"Ooh, you're dark." Naraku admired with a smile wondering why he hadn't thought of that. "Very well, Kanna?"

They both turned their attention to the mirror in Kanna's cold hands. The mirror flashed, like a beam of light had struck it, then dimmed to show that Kagome woman climbing from a well. Wearing a most particular cloth. Some kind of blue thing wrapped around her legs and a top that, frankly, looked nothing like anything Seitekina had ever seen before.

"What an odd woman." she remarked. "What was she doing in a well?"

Naraku shrugged. "Maybe she fell in. What does it matter? You know where she is. Kagura will take you there."

Seitekina nodded. "Did you get what I sent you for?"

Naraku nodded to Kanna.

The albino reached into her sleeve and pulled out an orb, It was green, flashing, and just a few sizes bigger than the completed Shikon Jewel.

"Another explosion?" Naraku asked as she took it from Kanna. The woman was dark but woefully unimaginative.

"I don't plan on dieing in this one." Seitekina promised as she put the orb in her obi. It wouldn't break accidentally. It only broke when someone had the intention of breaking it. Her demon friend was crafty that way. "But seeing his mate's horrifically mangled body should be just perfect for that half-demon scum."

Finally, her love would get the vengeance he so deserved.

And she would get the peace she so desired with him.

And that half-breed and human hussy would get exactly what they deserved for robbing her of her only source of happiness in this world.


	17. Orders

**Orders**

"Done." Totosai announced.

From outside his skeletal home, Inuyasha and Myoga turned and walked back in. The smell of cooking, living flesh had gotten so overpowering that Inuyasha had to step out in order to keep from vomiting.

To keep from thinking about what the elder demon was doing inside, Inuyasha had turned his thoughts inward. He thought about his daughter. Names, faces, scenarios all ran rampant in his mind.

As he got closer to the elder, he saw his blackened, crisped arms and flinched but didn't remark on them.

"There you are." Totosai nodded his head toward his work bench where he placed the jewelry.

"Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked as Myoga hopped off his shoulder and went to check on Totosai.

"Of course." the old man said, proud. "This is nothing. Tetsaiga was harder to reforge than that."

Inuyasha turned to the jewel and smiled a bit as he reached for it.

It wasn't heavy, which surprised him. In fact, considering what it was made of, it was extremely light. It was a solid silver band with the shining piece of adamant taking pride of place in the center. The two pieces of amethyst were on either side of it. The gleaming silver showed no sign of the blood rubies but Inuyasha wasn't surprised. They were probably what sealed the demon blood, they were needed more for their magical properties than the fact that they were rubies. The silver was gleaming, a bit brighter than what he was used to in silver. It almost resembled the fang of his Tetsaiga, but silver.

"It's beautiful, Totosai." Inuyasha praised him honestly.

"Of course it is!" the old man griped. "Now get out. Leave me to heal in peace."

Inuyasha nodded in thanks again and turned to leave the skeleton house.

Before he could leap away, he felt a tiny weight settle on his shoulder.

"Myoga?" Inuyasha looked surprised. "You're coming?"

Myoga nodded as he sat comfortably on his master's shoulder. "I advised your father when he first became a parent, and I shall advise you in turn."

Inuyasha hesitated. "Myoga, exactly how many generations of my family have you served?"

"A great many, master." Myoga smiled at the memories. "First, I shall tell you about what to expect from a pregnancy with a human woman."

Inuyasha paid attention as he jumped out of the volcanic center of the mountain.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Kagura and Seitekana have left." Kanna told Naraku as he looked outside a window of his mansion.

"She's going after Kagome first." Naraku said to himself. His charming smile was no longer in place. "But she doesn't know Inuyasha as I do. He has an annoying habit of showing up just in time to ruin everything."

Kanna said nothing as he pondered it over in his head.

"Kanna." he decided. "Send some demons to keep him distracted."

"How many?" Kanna asked softly.

"As many as I have left." he frowned. That the half demon required such measures was extremely annoying. But then life wouldn't be fun if everything came easy. "Tell them not to hold back. Attack to kill. And one more thing. Go find me the demons Chimei and Tekina. Tell them I have a deal to offer them."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Kouga!"

"Wait up!"

Hakaku and Ginta cried as they panted and jogged after their leader.

"You guys are so slow." Kouga complained, not for the first time. He had only paused to wait for them because he was afraid he might lose them.

That and he caught the scent of mutt face but not the scent of his beloved Kagome. He was busy sniffing for it and so decided to wait for his slow comrades at the same time.

"T-thanks...for...waiting." Hakaku panted as they rested for a moment

"One would think with all this running, you two would get faster." Kouga remarked without heat.

"We...are..." Ginta panted.

"...you're...just...too fast." Hakaku finished.

"Do you smell that?" Kouga changed the subject suddenly.

"Smell...what?" Ginta asked. Neither of them bothered to smell the air. They wanted to catch their breaths first.

"I smell dog breath." Kouga looked around as if hoping to catch a glimpse of that flashy red outfit he wore.

"Inu...yasha?" Hakaku asked as they stood up straight.

"Where is he?" Ginta asked as their pants calmed down.

"I can't tell." Kouga admitted. "The trail is old. Days old I'd say. I can barely smell it."

"Do you want to go meet up with him?" Hakaku wondered if Kouga would ponder this long enough to let them sit and rest.

Kouga scoffed. "Why would I?"

"Maybe Kagome is with him." Ginta suggested.

"No." Kouga shook his head. "I can't smell her." His face lit up. "Maybe she left him. Oh, that would be great. Now I have to go see him and rub it in his face."

Excited with the thought that Kagome had finally got tired of Inuyasha, Kouga took of running, kicking up a whirlwind as he did so.

"Hey, maybe if Kagome starts traveling with us," Hakaku said as they immediately gave chase, "he'll have to take more breaks and not run so fast."

"Oh, that would be great." Ginta mimicked Kouga making both of them laugh a bit.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kagome, as promised, was sitting on the rim of the well. She had one hand rubbing her belly lovingly as the other held up her sonogram photo to admire.

That was her baby. Her beautiful, beautiful baby.

Life still wasn't perfect, there were still so many problems left in their lives, but this sure was a step towards her ultimate happiness.

"I see by the look on your face that I smelled correctly."

Kagome looked up and was surprised to see Sesshomaru come out of the tree line and into the clearing.

"Kagome." Rin, behind him on their dragon, smiled at seeing her again.

"Hello, Sesshomaru." Kagome said cautiously. She adjusted herself so she could fall into the well with ease if she had to. It was hard to tell what Sesshomaru was actually thinking. "Smelled what correctly?"

"Your pregnancy." he looked at her belly.

Kagome blinked in surprise. "You can smell it? Even Inuyasha can't smell it."

Predictably, Sesshomaru looked insulted at being compared to his brother. "My nose is considerably stronger than his."

"Of course." Kagome smiled a bit. "So, what did you want?"

"To see if you were actually moronic enough to let my brother mount you." he said immediately.

Kagome felt her eyebrow raise but didn't remark on his comment. Sesshomaru wasn't the most polite of people. "That hardly matters. What matters is that I _am_ pregnant."

Sesshomaru said nothing but continued to observe her like she was an interesting TV show. She would give almost anything for a glimpse into his mind just to figure out what he was thinking.

Then again, what was keeping her from just asking?

"So, what are you going to do about it?" she did just that.

Clearly not expecting such a direct question, Sesshomaru gave no immediate answer.

It was true he hated his brother. His entire being was offending to Sesshomaru. But, thinking about the child that grew in the human woman's womb, he could muster up no such hatred.

It was embarrassing to admit, but Sesshomaru had a bit of a weakness where children were concerned. Human, demon, or a combination of both, it didn't matter. Young were always a certain kind of soft spot with him.

And the pup that grew within her was certainly no threat to him. He would acknowledge it's presence but have nothing to with it, he decided.

But, before he could tell the woman that, a new smell wafted to him on the breeze.

He turned his head towards the scent.

"What is it?" Kagome followed his gaze as well.

They watched as Seitekana stepped out of the tree line, about thirty paces from where Sesshomaru stood.

"You!" Kagome jumped to her feet without thinking. "You're alive!"

"I couldn't die knowing you two lived." Seitekana glared at her.

A gentle breeze blew through the clearing, moving Sesshomaru's hair.

Her eye's caught the flash of silver and Seitekana turned to him. "Oh. I thought you were that half demon. Leave demon, I have no business with you."

Kagome was frozen, like a deer in headlights, as Seitekana turned back to her.

She knew she should jump back in the well, she cursed herself for not doing so immediately. But she was afraid that any sudden movement would set the succubus off.

"Don't worry." she snarled at Kagome. "It will be quick. I desire that half breed's suffering."

"Did you just order me to leave?" Sesshomaru asked. His voice dangerously soft.

Seitekana turned back to him. "Yes. No go. It'll spare your life." As she spoke, she reached into her kimono and pulled out the pulsing green orb.

Kagome squeaked in fear, recognizing the thing as Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.

"I, Sesshomaru, obey no one." he growled.

Seitekana rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then you can die with her!"

She pulled back her arm to throw the orb.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I don't believe that for a second." Inuyasha argued with Myoga. "There's just no way."

"Oh, I assure you." Myoga nodded his head wisely. "Humans and dog demons are very similar in that respect."

Inuyasha thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. Flat out refusing to believe it. "Nope. Sorry. I just can't imagine that."

"But it's true!" Myoga assured him. "Think about it. Even before you met Lady Kagome, did you ever hurt one child?"

"No." Inuyasha said immediately. "But Sesshomaru is a completely different being than me."

"Then how about that girl that always travels with him?" Myoga asked and Inuyasha had no comeback for that. "Children are precious to both humans and dog demons. I guarantee that Sesshomaru would never think to hurt your child."

Inuyasha thought it over some more. "No. Not even a little bit can I believe that. Sesshomaru hates me. I can't even begin to believe he wouldn't hate my daughter too."

Because they were talking and so focused on their conversation, neither of them noticed the demon that lay in waiting for them as he ran across the forest tree tops.  
>It was completely unnoticed until it flew out of the trees and sank it's jaws into Inuyasha's side causing him to cry out in pain.<p>

XXXXXXXXXX

"How did you...?" Seitekana looked up at Sesshomaru in shock.

One moment, she was about to throw the orb, the next Sesshomaru was there grabbing her wrist, keeping the orb from flying.

"No one orders me to do anything." he growled at her.

Kagome was frozen, watching the scene in shock. The well was behind her, but she just couldn't get her legs to move. She was staring, transfixed, at the orb. She knew the power it had and she had no such protection as she had last time.

Seitekana glared at Sesshomaru. Then her face calmed. "Fine. I don't really need to live through this. As long as that half demon suffers. I don't care what happens."

"Rin! Run!" Kagome screamed at the girl.

"Wha-" the little girl looked surprised.

Ah-Uhn, on the other hand, took her advice immediately and jumped straight into the air, carrying Rin and Jaken with him.

Seitekana squeezed the orb in her fist.


	18. Protection

**Protection**

"Master!" Myoga called out in worry as Inuyasha threw another attacking demon away from him.

They landed in a forest, so the trees prevented the hordes of demons from converging on him all at once. But it also gave them a place to hide so he couldn't always see them before they jumped from behind a tree or a bush and attacked.

They had him completely surrounded, incredibly outnumbered, and that first surprise attack was still bleeding, draining him slowly of his strength. The demon that bit him must have had poison in it's fangs because the wounds weren't healing.

Myoga had sucked out what he could but Inuyasha's heart racing, his blood pumping so fast, meant that the poison had already spread a great deal. It wasn't deadly, but it was painful.

Inuyasha didn't even have time to draw his newly healed Tetsaiga. Every time his hand moved for the sword at his waist, a demon would come along and prevent him from unsheathing it. His right arm was already covered in a plethora of scratches, bite marks, and was slippery with blood, his and theirs.

He couldn't even run, they had surrounded him on all sides.

And, horrifically, he was getting tired.

In situations like this, he was used to having his friends. Fighting alone, unfortunately, was a practice he had become unaccustomed to.

The poison, the blood loss, and the sheer numbers of demons that surrounded him were wearing down on him. The only reason Myoga hadn't run away was because he couldn't. But the tiny, powerless flea was sitting, terrified, inside Inuyasha's fire rat robe. He was wise, but almost completely useless in a fight.

"Behind you!" the tiny creature squeaked just in time.

Inuyasha turned, swinging his claws down blindly, and severed the head of a striking snake demon.

And he knew the scent of this hoard of demons. And even if they didn't reek of Naraku, the attack had his signature all over it.

The problem was, Inuyasha had no idea what he was planning. With Naraku, nothing was ever as straight forward as it seemed. If there was a sword at your front, you could bet money there was one at your back and a few arrows drawn at you from the sides.

A hoard of attacking demons was Naraku's way of distracting, delaying, and injuring. This wasn't the main purpose of whatever it was he was doing.

This was to keep him here, keep him busy, and keep his attention off whatever it was Naraku was really doing elsewhere.

Naturally, Inuyasha's thoughts went right to Kagome. He wouldn't put it past his great foe to have figured out what had happened with her. But Kagome was safely on the other side of the well. Even Naraku couldn't reach her there.

Inuyasha severely hoped.

But every part of him wanted to kill these demons, get to her, and assure himself with his own eyes that she was okay.

His hand went to his sword.

As if on cue, a frog demon's tongue shot out and wrapped around Inuyasha's wrist as the acidic saliva of the demon began dissolving his skin.

Inuyasha pulled against the demon.

It shot off the ground towards him and Inuyasha punched it in mid-air.

His tongue loosened and Inuyasha tried again.

This time, a demon about the size of a dog, except with three tails and three heads, jumped forward and rammed itself into Inuyasha midriff.

Inuyasha grunted as he was thrown backwards into a tree. Myoga squeaked again as he was crushed between his body and the bark.

Before Inuyasha could stand up again, the three headed dog was back, sinking it's three sets of fangs into Inuyasha's right shoulder, forearm, and wrist.

"Geez mutt, you can't even handle these weaklings?"

Inuyasha's face was drawn with pain as he, and the other demons, looked up to see Koga standing on a tree branch.

"What do you want, flea bag?" Inuyasha groaned as the dog head's started gnawing.

He drew back his left hand and punched the one on his shoulder.

That head went unconscious but the other two still glared at him as their teeth sunk deeper.

"I smelled your blood and came to see who was kicking your ass." the wolf demon smirked. "I'm surprised to see it's just a bunch of worthless, two bit demons."

"Screw you, wolf." Inuyasha blocked a coming strike with his left hand.

"I guess you don't want my help then?" Koga smiled sarcastically.

Inuyasha cursed as he stood, trying to shake off the dog demon.

Koga jumped to the ground. He grabbed the last two heads and ripped them off Inuyasha's skin, who cried out in pain.

Koga's coming did provide him the moment he needed to draw his sword. He groaned at forcing his abused muscles to carry his sword, but he wasn't able to wield it with his left.

He and Koga automatically went back to back as they faced to demons that completely surrounded them.

"So, did Kagome finally leave you?" Koga asked, laughing a bit as the demons charged in.

"You wish." Inuyasha said lifting his sword, ready to swing.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kagome floated to consciousness slowly. She resisted the awful truths of reality, struggled to hold onto the peace that the darkness of passing out offered her.

However, reality also held such glorious things as her unborn child and her beloved half demon.

Which is the only reason she let her eyes open.

She looked up at the blue sky, her mind pretty slow on catching up why she was outside, obviously in the fuedal era, when she should be in the future.

The flash of memory was instantaneous and she shot up and looked around in fear.

She wasn't near the well anymore, she was in a, mostly, empty field of flowers. Empty but for the river that cut the middle and the dragon that followed Sesshomaru that lifted it's head, watching her curiously but calmly.

Kagome turned her head around but saw nothing.

A moment later, a child's voice rang out, "Kagome! Master Jaken, look, Kagome's awake."

"I see that you don't have to-Stop running!"

Kagome looked over and saw them running out of her from the tree line that surrounded the field. In little Rin's arms were a bunch of edible berries. Jaken was behind her, running to catch up with the girl he was charged with watching.

Rin reached Kagome first and offered her the berries. "Here. Eat. You must be hungry."

As if responding to her words, her stomach started growling and Kagome smiled, a bit embarrassed. Rin smiled as she dumped them into Kagome's lap. "Thanks. How long was I out?"

"About a day and a half." Rin's words were sweet and unconcerned.

"A day and a half?" Kagome looked shocked as the berry she picked up slipped from her fingers. "That long?"

"You've been quite a nuisance." Jaken said pompously, as he finally caught up with Rin.

"She has not, Master Jaken." Rin glared at him, her tiny face squishing in frustration with the imp. "Lord Sesshomaru told us to look after her."

"Sesshomaru told you that?" Kagome asked in disbelief.

Jaken and Rin nodded. "Then he flew away somewhere. We don't know where though."

Jaken sighed. "If only I didn't have to watch Rin, I could accompany my master."

"Are you still hungry?" Rin asked sweetly. "I can fetch you more food."

Kagome blinked in confusion then looked down and was surprised to see she had eaten all the berries.

"This stream doesn't have fish." Rin frowned a bit. "But Jaken and I can go get more berries and maybe some mushrooms if you like them."

Jaken glared at her for volunteering him.

"Thank you, but I really have to get home." Kagome, still hungry despite her words, stood up and looked around. "Where are we anyway?"

Rin shrugged. The little girl rarely cared where she was as long as it was a step behind Lord Sesshomaru. "I don't really know. But you can't leave."

"She's right." Jaken nodded. "Lord Sesshomaru did not grant you permission to leave. You must stay."

Before Kagome could open her mouth to tell the green thing that 'Lord' Sesshomaru had no right ordering her around, a strong wind blew from behind her.

She turned and saw Sesshomaru just as he landed not but ten feet behind her.

"My lord!" Rin looked overjoyed at seeing him. "Welcome back."

"Did you find whatever it was you were looking for, my lord?" Jaken asked.

"No." Sesshomaru's deep voice was always in a sort of monotone.

"Where did you go?" Kagome felt like those two would never ask so she did it.

"I went to look for that worthless half demon to come get you." his words lacked any real heat. "He's not anywhere near here."

"Where's here?" Kagome repeated her earlier question.

"Not far from that well you were near." he seemed slightly uninterested in the conversation.

"You saved me." Kagome knew her words were true when she saw him toss her a bit of a glare. As if it was some great insult for being accused of doing something good.

"I did not." he said with great dignity. "You saved yourself."

"Huh?" Kagome looked a bit confused. She tried to remember what had happened before her memories stopped. She told Rin to run, Sesshomaru had been pissed, that demon squeezed the orb.

Kagome looked Sesshomaru over. He didn't seem any worse for the wear.

"That." Sesshomaru looked down at her chest.

Kagome followed his gaze and was surprised to see the pendant from her grandfather. "This?" her voice was disbelieving as she lifted it. "But, this doesn't have any power."

"Of course it does." Jaken said. Kagome turned to looked at him. "It must be mirror magic." he explained. "That kind of magic carries no scent and it didn't seem to create a barrier around you. More like it split the power as it approached you. Everything behind you was spared the explosion."

Which included the well, Kagome thought with relief. But if the explosion actually happened then...

"Sesshomaru, you must have caught the worst of it." she looked back at him. "That blast almost killed Inuyasha."

"As if my lord can be compared to such an insignificant creature." Jaken spoke haughtily.

"Watch it." Kagome glared at him. "That's my baby daddy your talking about."

"Which is you were looking for him, right my Lord?" Rin asked, pleased to have figured it out.

"Where is he now?" Sesshomaru asked her.

"He went to see Totosai to get the Tetsaiga fixed." Kagome bit her lip in worry. "But he should have been back by now. He hasn't been here at all?"

Sesshomaru didn't bother to answer her but she got the message all the same.

"I hope he's okay." Kagome said, concerned.

"Worry more about yourself." Sesshomaru said because, immediately after she spoke, her stomach growled again. "You need food."

"I just ate." it was phrased more like a question as Kagome put her hand over her starving belly.

"You carry a part demon pup, not a human babe." Sesshomaru spoke calmly. "You're going to need more energy to support it."

Kagome thought to how much Inuyasha typically ate and wasn't surprised. Maybe it wasn't him, maybe it was a dog demon thing.

Sesshomaru turned but Kagome stopped him. "Where are you going?"

"To get food." he said, turning back to her slightly. "You need meat."

"But-" Kagome didn't finished her question as Sesshomaru leapt into the air and flew away.

"Yay, fresh meat." Rin grinned, pleased.

"-why are you taking care of me..." Kagome finished her question to no one.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hell of a fight." Koga said, pleased as one of the demons cooked over a fire, Hakaku and Ginta attending to it.

Inuyasha, mostly healed but for that poisoned bite on his abdomen, sat beside Koga as they waited for the food to cook.

"Hell of a fight." Inuyasha agreed as he rotated his shoulder that had only just finished healing. The demon cooking was one he hadn't had in a long time. The meat was poisonous to humans, most demon meat was, so he never hunted it for his friends. However, it was fine for him and he actually enjoyed the taste.

"So, where did you say Kagome was?" Koga asked him. The atmosphere around them was calm. Fighting a hoard of demons had brought a sort of temporary truce to the two men. They were both supporting a few injuries and Hakaku and Ginta didn't seem to mind cooking for the pair of them.

"I didn't." Inuyasha stretched his arms over his head. "I left her at her home. To keep her safe."

Koga paused a moment, digesting his words. "Safe? You've never worried about that before."

"Yeah, well she was never pregnant before." Inuyasha said, not a little triumph in his voice as he smirked at the wolf who turned to him, his face blank in shock.


	19. Peace

**Peace**

"The trail ends here." Miroku sighed as he and Sango left a village.

The blood trail ended long ago, but after that they had caught the rumors of a badly burned demon who had been seen going this or that way. They followed those as long as they could but the trail finally went cold.

"The important thing is that she survived that explosion." Sango looked towards the well in worry. Inuyasha wouldn't like that at all. "And if she survived she'll try again."

"It's too bad we lost her." Miroku shook his head.

"Hey! You two!"

They turned as a villager came running up. He stopped before them, pausing to catch his breath before standing. "You two are the ones looking for rumors on that demon, right?"

"Yes." Miroku nodded once. "Do you know something?"

"Well, it might be nothing," he admitted, "but a few days ago, some travelers came by. They said they saw a man wearing a white animal pelt found an injured woman and carried her away. They said he flew right into the sky! It was such a fantastical story that not many others believe it. But, well, I think some things are too weird to make up, right?"

"Miroku." Sango looked at him, her eyes suddenly filled with fear. Where they were concerned, white animal pelts always meant Naraku. "That man must be..."

Miroku nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Wait, I have more." he continued. "The travelers say he flew west, carrying the woman with him."

"West, huh?" Miroku thought it over for a moment. "Thank you, my good man."

"No problem." the man smiled then turned and walked back to his village.

"Naraku's gone west." Sango repeated. "Should we follow?"

"Of course." Miroku said looking in the direction of the setting sun.

"But Inuyasha-"

"-is not here and if he was would insist on following the lead." Miroku finished for her. "We have no choice, Sango. With Naraku involved, if we don't take every opportunity we're given, we'll never find him."

Sango nodded once, her face setting with determination. "You're right. We have to follow the lead."

They turned and started walking further and further from home  
>XXXXXXXXXX<p>

Kikyo was watching the setting sun.

This time, she was making sure her barrier was up, powerful, and impenetrable.

She needed time alone, she needed to think.

She wished she could think.

Every time she tried to bring a coherent thought into her head it blew away like smoke in the wind.

Inuyasha was having a baby.

That was the only, single, thought that ran around and around in her mind with dizzying speed.

A baby.

Unbidden, an image of her, holding a beautiful, black haired babe, with a human Inuyasha behind her flew into her mind.

That thought didn't blow away, she had to banish it herself.

It was something that had once been a dream and now was just impossible.

Especially since Inuyasha was having a baby with Kagome.

Kikyo wasn't really sure what it was she was feeling. Her thoughts and emotions were in turmoil, everything unsettled and murky. Like stirring up the muck and mire at the bottom of a pond, clouding the water with uncertainty, darkness, and confusion.

She needed to think.

She wished she could.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Just a bit longer." Hakaku said, poking the cooking meat, trying not to drool.

"This is going to be so good." Ginta grinned greedily, not caring that he _was_ drooling.

Behind them, Inuyasha and Kouga were rolling around, punching and beating each other senseless.

Hakaku and Ginta saw them, shrugged, and ignored them in favor of the food. After all, it wasn't the first time they had tried to go at it.

And, without Kagome nearby, there was nothing to stop them from finally getting it out of their system.

"Jealous, mangy wolf?" Inuyasha asked, smirking as he slammed his fist into Kouga's jaw.

"Damn mutt!" Kouga slammed his into Inuyasha's side. "What the hell did you do to Kagome?"

"Nothing she didn't ask for!" Inuyasha grunted as he deflected another punch.

Hakaku and Ginta turned from their food for a moment to watch them. They weren't really worried.

It wasn't a battle. If it was, Inuyasha wouldn't have tossed his sword aside and Kouga would be using his powerful legs.

No, this was just a fight. Men fought sometimes, and it was a brawl that was long overdue. So neither of them worried. In fact, it might even be good for them to finally cool their hot heads by taking a few punches out on the other.

So they turned away and instead watched the sizzling meat with anticipation.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I'm a bit worried." Mama Higurashi admitted as they stood at the top steps of the well house. "She said she would be back. Why hasn't she come back."

"Don't worry, baby." Gramps patted her arm. "She has the pendant, don't forget."

"I know, daddy." Mama Higurashi bit her lip. "But...what if it doesn't...well, work?"

"Nonsense." Gramps tossed his head. "That pendant was blessed by the founder of our shrine, an extremely powerful priest. The scrolls say that all it needs is a bit of spiritual power to...jump start it, I guess. And Kagome has my power, maybe even more."

Mama Higurashi smiled. "Yes, that's true, daddy. And Inuyasha is there. I really have no need to worry."

"There you go." Gramps patted her arm. "Now, how about something spicy for dinner? I'm in the mood for curry."

He turned and started shuffling back to the house.

Mama Higurashi stood and watched the well for a moment longer, on the off chance that maybe her daughter would appear, perfectly safe.

But nothing happened so, with a sigh, she shut the doors and turned to follow her father.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kagome sat quietly, watching the remnants of the fire as the stars began to shine in the sky.

The sky here, free from city lights and pollution, was always so much clearer, so much more beautiful, in the past. There was nothing quite like the night sky.

But tonight, Kagome found no solace in the twinkling stars.

Little Rin was curled up next to Jaken, both of them sleeping against the belly of Ah-Uhn. Not unlike how Shippo would sleep with Kirara, she thought with a bit of a smile.

Sesshomaru was awake, standing beside the river looking up at the sky. He appeared to be deep in thought.

Kagome stood and started walking towards him.

As he said, he brought back an enormous boar for her to eat. Inuyasha rarely hunted that. It was big and there was a lot of meat on it, way too much for them to finish.

However, tonight, Kagome found that she ate a lot more than she really should. Rin had a share, as did Jaken, and Ah-Uhn gobbled up the guts and skin happily. But Kagome ate the majority of it. There was a little left over that Sesshomaru, who hadn't eaten it at all, said she should save and eat throughout the night as she became hungry.

He was being extraordinarily kind, especially for Sesshomaru. It was a bit disconcerting actually. Then again, maybe it wasn't quite so odd as it felt. After all, he clearly took care of Rin who seemed happy and well cared for. There were children in the future that had no such happiness in their lives. In fact, if Kagome wasn't wrong, the flying dragon Ah-Uhn only began traveling with Sesshomaru after Rin did. As if the great dog demon provided him to protect and care for her.

She even felt relatively safe approaching him.

"Uh, Sesshomaru?" Kagome said softly as she came up behind him.

She saw a flash of light that was his eyes darting to her face then away. It was as much of an acknowledgment that she would ever get.

"I, well, I guess I wanted to thank you." she came up beside him and smiled up at what was, for all intents and purposes, her brother-in-law.

He said nothing.

"You've taken better care of me than I had any right to expect." she continued. She saw his eyes tighten at those words.

Why would that bother him? As if a compliment was an insult?

"I suppose I was just wondering, 'why'?" she asked. "You don't owe me anything-"

"I do." he cut her off. "There was a time that you protected Rin in my absence. It was a debt I had yet to repay."

"But you repaid it just by protecting me from that demon." Kagome paused, distracted. "I never did ask, what happened to her?"

"She presumed to order me around," Sesshomaru said without apology, "she paid the price for it."

"She's dead?" Kagome asked.

"Does this bother you?" he finally turned to look at her.

Kagome shook her head. "No. I guess...it's just a bit...I don't know. Unexpected. My enemies don't usually die that easily."

"She carried Naraku's scent." Sesshomaru threw out, watching her face.

"Crap." Kagome felt her shoulder's slump. "He helped her. He might even know about the baby."

"Possible." Sesshomaru nodded once. "It is, of course, you and Inuyasha's fault for getting pregnant now."

"We were drunk." Kagome said, pretty sure that really wasn't a good defense. "That sounds bad, doesn't it? It was demon sake, if that makes it better. Not sure how it would though."

"You must go somewhere safe." Sesshomaru said. "Somewhere to bare the pup in peace."

"I need to go home." Kagome agreed. "But, I'm worried about Inuyasha. He should have returned to the well by now. Maybe it's taking Totosai longer to fix Tetsaiga that it did last time."

Sesshomaru gave no answer. Instead, he said, "Go to sleep. You need rest."

"Which brings me to my next question." Kagome looked back at him. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You would prefer I kill you or leave you to die?" he looked at her as well.

"Of course not." Kagome shook her head. "It's just...not like you at all."

Again, Sesshomaru gave no response. At least, not a verbal one. Instead, he turned his head and looked back at the sleeping Rin.

Kagome followed his gaze and wondered what on earth the dog demon could be thinking.

"Sleep." Sesshomaru said, breaking that line of thought before it could go anywhere. "You and the pup both need rest."

Kagome wanted to continue talking but sensed that the conversation wouldn't get anywhere else tonight. So she nodded and went to lay down on the soft grass beside the others.

XXXXXXXXXX

"A baby, huh?" Naraku smiled as he watched the scene in Kanna's mirror. "Kagome let Inuyasha put a bastard in her belly. How...perfect."  
>That Seitekana died in her own explosion without even getting close to the revenge she so desired meant nothing to Naraku.<p>

Not when he was just given such a great gem of information.

A pregnancy. And so much could go wrong with one of those.

He would have to plan carefully.

Kagome was under the protection of Sesshomaru at the moment. The great dog demon didn't quite reach the rumors of his legendary father but he was his father's son. Naraku would have to figure out a way to get to her through him first.

XXXXXXXXXX

Seitekana opened her eyes and looked into the face of her beloved.

He had been waiting for her.

Of course he had.

All earthly things fell away.

What did they matter?

She was finally at peace.


	20. Twins

**Twins**

"I have a bad feeling about this, Miroku." Sango spoke cautiously as they walked through the dark forest.

The rumor on Naraku and the female demon led them to another village. There, people say they saw him enter this forest with the woman.

And this evil forest was exactly the kind of place their foe would enjoy. Dank, deep, and full of demons that were all angry at the intrusion by the two humans. Though none had, as yet, taken action against them both of them could still feel the anger and hatred directed towards them the further in they went.

That, however, wasn't the source of the feeling Sango referred to.

This was a feeling, a strange certainty in the pit of her stomach, that this whole situation wasn't right.

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked, looking around cautiously, he kept on hand secure on the beads of his right hand, ready to unleash his wind tunnel at the first sign they were being attacked by the malevolent presence around them.

"I might just be imagining it," Sango hesitated for only a moment, "but it feels like this rumor is just too _clean_."

Miroku didn't agree with her but he didn't disagree either.

"It just seems like everyone we spoke to had the same story." Sango continued, trying to explain what it was that was bothering her. "It was all too neat and easy. Naraku never leaves things this neat and easy."

"I've been starting to think the same." Miroku agreed as he paused. "Maybe it would be best to leave this forest and re-plan from a safer distance."

"Far too late-"

"-for that, monk."

Miroku and Sango turned, their hands going automatically to their weapons.

Before them stood two women, identical, and beautiful. Demons, obviously by their pointed ears and slitted eyes. Their skin was pale as death, their smiles dark and ominous. They both carried a pair of twin short swords at their waists.

"My name is Chimei." the one on the right said.

"My name is Tekina." the one on the left said.

"Did Naraku send you?" Sango got ready to swing her Hiraikotsu as that uncertain feeling in her belly solidified and she knew her and the monk had just playing into whatever trap Naraku had devised this time.

"Oh, yes." Chimei giggled like a little girl. "He promised us such a treat."

"If we kill you," Tekina mimicked her sister, "we get that pretty little jewel he's been hoarding."

"Why he has such problems with two humans, I'll never know." Chimei shrugged.

"What does it matter? Let's kill them quickly." Tekina clapped her hands like a child being offered a piece of candy.

"Be ready, Sango." Miroku said taking a small step closer to her. "Twins tend to fight in synchrony, our moves will have to be just as coordinated."

"Don't assume, monk." Chimei shook her finger.

"It's quite rude." Tekina nodded.

"Our specialty isn't in fighting together." Chimei drew her swords.

"It's to divide and conquer." Tekina copied her action.

They jumped forward.

Automatically, Sango and Miroku both leapt away to avoid their attack. It was only when they landed that they realized their mistake. They had jumped away from each other, seperated.

Chimei charged after Miroku, Tekina advanced on Sango.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha nursed his jaw as he tried to eat what Hakaku and Ginta hadn't scarfed down.

Beside him, Kouga had one hand to his gut, trying to do the same.

"...then you got drunk?" the wolf asked, trying to clarify.

"Right. From the demon sake." Inuyasha nodded.

Across the fire, Hakaku and Ginta had been sleeping all day. It seemed that they didn't usually have much time to rest.

"But you both woke up happy?" Kouga asked.

Inuyasha nodded, regretted the action when his jaw ached, and replied, "Sort of. I killed the demon and the sake wore off."

"Oh, I see." Kouga nodded, understanding coming to him at last. "Well, I guess if Kagome is happy, I really have no right to complain."

Inuyasha tried to smile but it hurt his face.

As if it were some sort of magic, the two men really felt no more animosity towards each other. They had beaten out their anger and frustration on each others bodies and now it was cleared out of their system.

"You always have Ayame." Inuyasha tried to cheer him up. "She's pretty. Not a bad fighter either. And she seemed really determined to be your mate."

"True." Kouga tried to sit back but it made the large bruise on his abdomen ache so he decided against it. "She's not bad to look at. I kind of like all that red hair. Kind of fiery, you know?"

Inuyasha nodded as if he did. Red hair didn't really mean all that much to him but if it made Kouga happy, who was he to complain?

"Bet my first pup comes out stronger than yours anyway." Kouga sneered.

"You're on, wolf!" Inuaysha sneered back. "But, uh, my first pup is a girl. Look, I had this made for her." He reached into his robes and pulled out his precious daughters bracelet.

"I think I hit my hand on this at one point." Kouga said as he took it and looked it over. "It's nice."

"I think so, too." Inuyasha sighed, somehow completely relaxed. There's was always a sort of calm after a battle, like a calm after a storm. But this one seemed different somehow, more lasting.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Kouga asked, turning the jewelry in his hands. He didn't question that Inuyasha knew his child would be a girl, he just accepted it.

"I was thinking...Kanari." Inuyasha said.

"Pretty." Kouga thought about it. "That means pretty."

Inuyasha nodded. "I bet she'll look like her mother and be the most beautiful girl in the entire world."

"As long as she doesn't look like you, mutt face." Kouga laughed, tossing the bracelet back to Inuyasha who caught it deftly in the air.

"She'll look better than your kid, flea bag." Inuyasha smirked at him.

The insults were the same but, somehow, the meaning behind them had changed.

"I should probably go." Inuyasha stood, stretched, then winced as it hurt his bruised body. "Kagome will be worried that I'm so late."

Kouga stood as well, "I'll go with you. Just in case Naraku decides to show his ugly head again."

Inuyasha smiled his thanks, then turned to the sleeping duo. "What about them? Want to wake them up?"

"Don't bother." Kouga shrugged carelessly. "They can't keep up and they can follow our scent when they do wake up."

Inuyasha nodded in agreement and, together, the two men turned east and began running back towards the well.

Inuyasha hadn't noticed that, in all the excitement, Myoga had disappeared.

XXXXXXXXXX

Miroku didn't know where Sango had disappeared to. He had long lost track of his partner.

Chimei was fast, deadly, and, unfortunately, giggled like a little girl.

The entire thing was incredible creepy.

It was all Miroku could do to duck, dodge, and flee from the woman.

Miroku didn't dare unveil his wind tunnel. With Naraku involved he could guarantee that there were poisonous insects just laying in wait. He couldn't see them now but he knew that should he try to suck the woman up, they would rear their ugly heads.

"Come here, pretty monk." Chimei beckoned.

From his left, he barely blocked a sword strike with his staff.

"Naraku even said I could eat your lovely heart." she mocked him as she chased him through the woods. "Handsome young men have the loveliest hearts."

Miroku wasn't listening to her words.

He was listening to the sound of her footfalls on the leafy floor, the rush of wind as she passed, and where her voice was coming from.

She kept jumping around, never staying on one side of him, trying to remain unpredictable.

And it was working.

Miroku was having trouble keeping up with her.

A part of him worried for Sango who was out there, dealing with the other one. But he didn't give it more than a passing thoughts. Sango was the better fighter of the two of them. If anything, she had a better chance than he did of winning.

Although, his chances weren't all that high.

He got distracted for a moment with the thought of Sango. Chimei took that opportunity to jump in and take a slice at him.

A large wound was opened on his side, it immediately started gushing hot blood, and Miroku clenched his teeth against the pain.

The problem was, he couldn't fight in the confined area of a forest, he had to get to a clearing, even a small one.

XXXXXXXXXX

"My sister is going to tear that monk into pieces." Tekina taunted Sango.

Sango had manage to escape the forest and found herself on an old travelers road.

They had both turned to each other and already made several advances on the other. It hadn't become an all out battle yet. They were testing each other, trying to find a weak point.

Behind Sango, Kirara had already transformed and was baring her fangs at the demon woman.

"Are you going to keep talking or are we going to fight?" Sango asked without patience as she lifted her Hiraikotsu, preparing to throw it.

"Naraku told me all about you, demon slayer." Tekina tried a different tactic. "That terrible story of your family." Even as she spoke, the evil smile on her face grew. "Did your brother really kill your entire family?"

Sango threw the giant boomerang in anger, wanting just to keep her from talking.

Tekina let out a laugh of victory. Instead of ducking the weapon, she reached up and snagged it out of the air and placed it on her own back.

Cursing at herself for playing into the woman's hands, Sango drew her own short sword. She was trained in it, but she was in no way as proficient in its use as the boomerang.

"You're so easy." Tekina laughed as she lifted her double swords and faced her. "Weak people always are."

Before Sango could attack again, Kirara interfered.

It had only happened once before. Sango had been in a battle against three demons she was too angry to realize she couldn't defeat on her own, back before she even met Inuyasha and her other friends.

Kirara had judged the situation too dangerous, jumped in, and snatched Sango out of it before she got killed.

Sango had been about to run forward, already lifting her sword in preperation, when she felt a pair of fangs at her back.

Kirara grabbed Sango by her outfit and jumped into the air, carrying her away.

"Kirara!" Sango tried to struggle. "Let me go!"

The giant cat didn't listen as she ran on air, trying to escape the demon woman.

"Not so fast!" the woman screeched.

Sango looked behind her and saw the sister jump into the air and run on it in almost exactly the same way Kirara did.

She could fly too!

Kirara tossed Sango into the air, caught her on her back, and flew away, chased by the demon woman.


	21. On The Run

**On The Run**

It had only taken a few days for Kagome to realize what was going on.

The stream with the bottle fresh water, Sesshomaru constantly bringing her food, usually before she herself realized she was hungry, and Ah-Uhn never leaving her side; Sesshomaru had built her a nest.

The meadow was comfortable and beautiful and Rin didn't seem to mind that they were spending so long here. Jaken grumbled about not being able to follow his lord around as he wished but that was pretty much it.

Kagome herself was extremely content there. The smell of the flowers was delightful and, to her delight, she hadn't gotten morning sick at all.

If it wasn't for the fact that Inuyasha wasn't there with her, she could have easily spent the duration of her pregnancy here.

But he wasn't and the need to get back to him was so fierce, Kagome was actually formulating escape attempts.

At the moment, she was laying on her back on the grass, the only sounds the bubbling of the spring and of Rin giggling as she played some kind of pounce and tackle game with Ah-Uhn who, as it turned out, was as wonderful a nursemaid as Kirara.

The entire thing wasn't really all that different from an evening spent with her friends.

Kagome herself was holding up the charm that Inuyasha gave her via her Gramps. Did it seem slightly...shinier now?

Jaken insisted the thing was magic. He told her it seemed to 'cut' the explosion as it neared her. Like an ax blade slicing through wood.

And while Kagome was shocked that anything her Gramps valued as sacred and powerful actually turned out to be so, a part of her wasn't all that surprised. Just because a majority of the thing's in Gramps's sheds was nothing but junk, granted it was really old junk but junk was still junk, there was always the possibility that something inside would actually be a powerful object.

Kagome sat up and let the necklace fall back onto her chest.

Sesshomaru was gone at the moment. Kagome didn't know where. He came and went without any kind of schedule Kagome could make out. But she was determined, when he got back, she was going to talk to him.

Staying in this meadow was nice and it was very sweet of him to do all this for her, even as she thought that her mind rebelled at using the words 'Sesshomaru' and 'sweet' in the same thought, but she really either needed to go back home or go back to Inuyasha.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sango rarely went on the retreat. She had always been taught to stand and fight. But Kirara, evidently, had other ideas.

It wasn't that Sango didn't trust her completely, it was just that Sango would rather turn and take on Tekina herself.

Even as she thought that, a calmer, more mature voice, that sounded oddly like Inuyasha of all people, reminded her that Tekina had her weapon, was obviously more skilled with a short sword and, of course, could fly.

Sango turned around, her hair whipping in her face, to check on the woman's progress.

She couldn't tell if Tekina was faster than Kirara or not. She didn't seem to be catching up with the great cat demon, but neither did she look particularly worried. In fact, the demon was smiling, enjoying the chase.

And why shouldn't she be. Hiraikostu was held captive on her back, well out of Sango's reach and she had both of them on the run.

"Come on, think!" Sango yelled at herself. Kirara couldn't run forever, Sango would have to, eventually, take on the demented twin.

"I'm coming for you, demon slayer!" the woman mocked.

"Think, think!" Sango ignored her as she went through, mentally, all the tricks and toys she had hidden about her person.

XXXXXXXXXX

Miroku hollered in pain as his foot hit a ledge, his ankle buckled, and he himself fell down a steep drop off.

Automatically, he lifted his arms to defend his face and let himself roll down the incline until he hit, with a bone rattling thud, the bottom.

"Monk. Where did you go?" Chimei asked, having not seen his fall.

Grabbing his moment of opportunity, Miroku jumped to his feet, praised Buddha his ankle hadn't twisted or broken, and ran away from her chillingly sweet voice.

He knew he wouldn't have much of a head start. Like children tattling to mommy, Naraku's poisonous insects would be sure to alert her of his direction.

But all he needed was one moment to be able to escape. If he couldn't find a wider open area to fight, he could at least get away from her.

Even as he thought that, Miroku saw his luck starting to turn as the trees started to thin and the grass became the more prominent vegetation.

Just as he sensed Chimei coming up on his trail, the tree line appeared and Miroku ran out onto a wider open area.

It was the top of a cliff with the grass waving gently in the wind. The tree line started just about twenty feet from the tip of the cliff. Which led, over a hundred feet down, to a rather small lake.

And just on the edge of the lake, to Miroku's horror, was a village. He could even see the people, tiny at this distance, walking around.

He absolutely could not let Chimei get to them. He didn't know how sadistic she was but he would rather not take the chance.

Miroku turned back to the tree line and walked a bit forward, preparing his staff and body for the fight.

A moment later, the darkly beautiful twin stepped out of the tree line, looking positively delighted that the chase was over and it was finally time to get down to the real fun.

As he suspected, right behind her came a small swarm of poisonous insects followed just behind her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Working quickly, needing to try anything, Sango untied her left shoulder pad and pulled it off. Nestled inside was her own special, paste-like poison. From under her other shoulder pad, Sango pulled out a length of rope with a small weight tied onto the end.

Being careful not to touch it herself, Sango coated the weight in the poison.

Trusting Kirara, and not even sure where the feline was headed anyway, Sango turned on her back so she was facing backward, looking into the wicked face of Tekina.

Cursing her long hair as it billowed in her face, Sango started spinning the weight, pleased when the thick poison didn't slip off.

Laughing, unconcerned, Tekina started weaving back and forth making it hard for Sango to aim.

But Sango kept at it and let the weight fly, leaving the opposite end firmly in her hand.

Tekina dodged it, making Sango curse out loud.

As the demon woman laughed Sango reeled it back in, being careful not to touch Kirara with it.

"You missed." Tekina taunted as Sango, not one to give up, started swinging the weight again, prepping for another throw.

This time, when she let the weight go, the twin didn't dodge in time and the firm smack of it against her cheek reverberated up the line.

Not a second later, Tekina screamed in pain as the poison went to work, dissolving her flesh making it bubble and smoke. Without thinking, she reached up and tried to wipe it away. She succeeded only in spreading the poison onto her hand and that flesh began to dissolve as well.

The cloyingly sweet smile gone from her face, Tekina grabbed the rope before Sango could pull it back and yanked on it. Instead of being pulled from Kirara's back, Sango let it go and watched for a moment as it dropped to earth.

Sango turned back, grabbed a fistful of Kirara's fur, and lowered herself as she urged her cat to go faster.

She highly doubted that Tekina was happy to keep playing anymore. That poison wasn't deadly with just the amount Sango was able to get onto the weight. However, it would be extremely painful.

It wasn't until Sango turned back to face front that she recognized the land that passed so quickly beneath them.

Kirara was taking her back to the village.

XXXXXXXXXX

Miroku was fast. He could hold his own against Sango and Inuyasha for a little while.

However, Tekina was faster than him.

It seemed he was just barely able to block and redirect each of the strikes from her double swords. And he couldn't even tell if she was being serious or still just toying with him.

Even as his body was busy keeping her blades from himself, his mind was busy formulating any kind of plan to get out of this alive.

The only thing he had besides his ability to exercise demons was the wind tunnel in his hand. But the poisonous insects all around the pair of them had no sense of self preservation and would willingly fly into his hand. But he couldn't keep running. There were people down in that village whose safety he couldn't promise if he tried to. He doubted she would spare them just because they had nothing to do with it.

Even as he realized what he had to do, he was already regretting it.

Miroku jumped back, his feet just brushing the edge of the cliff.

Chimei advanced on him, grinning at her impending victory.

Taking the single moment Miroku had before she reached him, he reached into his robes and pulled out one of the sacred sutras he always kept on his person.

Unable to stop in time, Miroku was able to smack it onto her face.

Chimei shouted at the electric-like pain the sutra gave her.

Sending up a prayer for his own safety, Miroku opened his wind tunnel, sucking her into its infinite depths.

And sucking far too many of the poisonous insects in as well before he could close it up.

The pain was almost instantaneous followed but a dull, somehow still painful, numb feeling began creeping up his arm.

It wasn't the same, he realized. The insects were somehow more potent than they had been before. Naraku had probably been experimenting with them, making them stronger.

His foot slipped off the edge of the cliff and, unable to stop himself, Miroku fell.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What are you doing?" Sango demanded to know as Kirara started to land.

Right in the center of the village.

Exactly where Sango did not want to be.

Even before Kirara touched down, Sango was jumping from her back, pointing her sword at the approaching demon, prepared to defend the place she called home.

"Sango?" she heard Keade's voice as the elderly priestess approached.

"Watch out, Keade." Sango warned. "This demon is strong."

Sango's warning barely escaped her mouth before the demon was upon her and the heavy metal clang of their blades echoed through the air.

The force of it sent Sango to her knees with a pained cry.

"After I'm done with you, slayer," Tekina sneered, "I'll destroy this pretty little village."

Using one sword to keep Sango on her knees, unable to move, Tekina lifted the other, preparing to strike.

To Sango's surprise, she never got the chance to do so.

Before Tekina got the chance to bring the blade down, a holy sutra was slammed onto her face by Keade.

Feeling very much like she had the very first time she saw her father slay a demon, Sango watched as Keade began saying a chant in a language she didn't recognize.

Tekina reached up to pull the sutra from her face but couldn't do so. A moment later, the spell took affect and the demon erupted into flames.

Taking the opportunity, Sango leapt to her feet, and ran around her. Steeling her nerves, Sango reached into the magical fire and pulled her Hiraikostu from Tekina's back.

As her screams split the air, Sango pulled back her giant boomerang, then swung it in a large arch, splitting Tekina in two, killing her instantly.

The magical fire razed the rest of her to ash in a moment and the remain blew away in the wind.


	22. Dread

**Dread**

"The twins are dead." Kanna told Naraku emotionless.

"The monk and demon slayer?" he asked, his face calm.

"Separated." Kanna almost whispered.

Naraku's face broke out into a cold smile. "Perfect. Your new brother has finished maturing by now. Send him after Kagome." Naraku would go give the instructions himself normally, but he didn't want to get near his newest incarnation. He wasn't afraid of it. Just as he did with Kanna and Kagura, he held his heart in his hands.

But this incarnation was just so...unpleasant. Better to let the unfeeling Kanna deal with him.

XXXXXXXX

"So this happens every month?" Kouga asked as he and Inuyasha sat around a fire Inuyasha had built up purely from habit.

"Every month." Inuyasha nodded.

"Wow." Kouga shook his head. "I can't imagine."

Inuyasha nodded, his black hair swaying a bit as he did so.

With all that was going on, he had completely forgotten about the new moon and the time of complete vulnerability he would have to endure because of it.

Luckily, Kouga already knew about the night and didn't mind slowing down and preparing a safe place for Inuyasha to lay low until sunrise.

He couldn't wait to get back to Kagome. Every moment he was away, he only wanted to see her more.

And that need to be around her only grew stronger as his humanity became more prominent and he had to deal with the force of emotions he normally didn't have to deal with.

Not that he minded. The sweet, warm glow of affection he felt for Kagome was only pleasant. It was the worry that she wasn't around that intensified to almost a painful degree.

But it was far better to lay low when he was human. He wasn't too worried. He would be back with her soon. Until then, he comforted himself with the knowledge that she was safe on her side of the well.

XXXXXXXX

It was the new moon.

Kagome scanned the dark sky with worry. 'dark' of course being a relative term. The vast expanse of stars that glowed in a magnificent array of colors was hardly 'dark'.

But that wasn't the point.

It was the new moon and Inuyasha was out there somewhere. She hadn't spent a moonless night without him since they met. Being away from him now, not knowing what had happened to him or why it was taking him so long to get back to her made her nervous.

After the sun had set and she noticed that the moon wasn't rising, she became determined to stay up and wait for Sesshomaru. He hadn't been back all day so she was sure he would be coming back soon.

Laying asleep, her head resting on Kagome's lap, was Rin. Kagome was keeping her hands busy braiding flowers from the meadow into her hair.

Kagome's hair already had a few, badly braided strands with flowers; Rin's handiwork. The little girl had fallen asleep while Kagome braided her hair in turn.

Kagome didn't really mind. Despite the moon not being out tonight, Kagome could see fine enough. Her eyes were used to pitch black of the past. Besides, braiding could just as easily be done by feel alone.

As she was working in the last flower on the last braid on Rin's head, she heard the soft padding of footsteps on soil coming from her right.

Kagome turned her head and saw the familiar silhouette of Sesshomaru walking towards her.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked softly. Whether it was to prevent the noise from waking Rin or just because the night was so still it seemed to soften everything in it, Kagome wasn't sure.

"I was waiting for you." Kagome told him. "I wanted to talk to you about going back to Inuyasha."

No expression came across the demon lord's face to indicate his emotions on that, but he didn't respond so Kagome was sure that, whatever it was he was feeling, it wasn't favorable to her.

"I know you don't like him." she continued, not looking away she she tied off Rin's last braid. "But I really feel like I should be with him."

The movement of her hands drew Sesshomaru's gaze down to Rin's prone form.

Kagome followed them and smiled a bit. "I appreciate what you're doing for me, it's...nice." She could almost feel the disapproval of being called nice radiating from his direction. But I really think it would be best for me to stay with Inuyasha."

"Wake up Rin." Sesshomaru ordered suddenly.

"But she just fell asleep." Kagome protested. "Why?"

"Something is coming." he said simply, without any emphasis.

"What?" Kagome cried softly.

Sesshomaru ignored her and walked, instead, over to a spot nearer to Ah-Uhn's sleeping figure. "Jaken. Wake up." The demon lord punctuated the command with a swift kick that sent the little green imp rolling for a few feet.

"Wait, you're serious." Kagome stood, cradling Rin to her chest. Still being so young, the movement didn't awake the girl. She merely adjusted her body to fit the new position and kept sleeping.

"M-my lord." Jaken stood up, looking slightly dizzy from being awakened in such a way but not all that surprised.

"Something is coming." he repeated to the tiny demon as Ah-Uhn roused itself, curious about the noise. "Woman. Come here."

Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she walked over to Sesshomaru.

Rin moaned a bit, starting to awake because no one was bothering to lower their voices anymore.

"Get on Ah-Uhn." Sesshomaru ordered her.

Feeling very exposed and helpless without her arrows, and without Inuyasha, Kagome didn't protest as she did just that.

"W-what?" Rin yawned as Kagome situated the two of them on the great dragon's back. It wasn't until she got herself and Rin secured that Ah-Uhn stood and walked to Sesshomaru's side.

"What is coming, my lord?" Jaken asked but received no reply.

Kagome sniffed the air as a breeze suddenly brought a foul stench into the clearing. "What is that?"

"A demon." Sesshomaru said. "It also carries Naraku's scent."

Kagome felt her blood chill at that simple, unemphasized statement. "Naraku? But how...? How much do you think he knows?"

"In situations such as these," Jaken spoke up looking unexpectedly serious, "it is best to assume the worst and react as if he knows all."

"Even.." Kagome reached one hand to her belly, uneasy.

"Especially." Jaken nodded.

"Stay out of my way." Sesshomaru told her coldly which Kagome imagined was the Sesshomaru version of saying 'stay out of danger'. Still, why did the guy insist on being so rude?

"My lord?" Rin spoke up softly, her sleep fogged brain having trouble keeping up with everything that was suddenly happening. She didn't look scared, exactly, but she did look worried.

Sesshomaru didn't respond to her but turned his attention to upwind, where the scent was wafting from.

And it was getting stronger and more rancid.

XXXXXXXXX

"Thank you, Keade." Sango took the cup of tea the elder woman offered with a smile. Her hands were bandaged with numbing herbs stuffed into them. Though she had only had her hands in the mystical fire for a moment, the burns were still quite severe. Still, she couldn't have let the magical blaze destroy her Hiraikotsu.

"Are you alright?" Keade asked again. The burns had been quite painful.

Sango nodded. "As long as you can feel the burns, they aren't too bad." she quoted her own father. "It's when they stop burning that you have a problem."

Keade nodded to the wisdom of this. "Why are you alone? Where are the others?"

Sango shrugged sadly, setting the tea down. Though it had cooled for a while, the cup was still a bit too hot for her scorched skin. "I'm not sure. I lost Miroku, I haven't heard from Kagome or Inuyasha in while which I hope is a good thing. I feel like we're being separated so we can be picked off one at a time at Naraku's leisure."

Shippo, sitting beside Keade, looked unhappy at that. "But aren't Kagome and Inuyasha on the other side of the well."

"I sure hope so." Sango tried to smile at the kit but it didn't come out quite as hopeful as she intended. "I need to leave first thing in the morning. So I can try to find Miroku."

Keade nodded as if she expected this. "Very well. But I'll make you something to help you sleep tonight so your arms can have time to heal."

"Thanks again." Sango smiled, more genuinely this time, at the elder woman. She was always there when they needed her. It was help that was precious and irreplaceable. Sango would have to remember to give her a proper thanks and maybe even a gift of some sorts when this was over.

"I smell something." Shippo announced bringing Sango from her thoughts.

"Is it a demon?" she asked him.

"Uh-uh." Shippo shook his head. "It smells...familiar though."

"What-"

Sango was cut off by the sound of the bamboo screen being opened.

Everyone turned to see who was there.

XXXXXXXX

"Sir! Over here!" the young man called out as he ran to the shore line of the lake.

As he ran, the light from his torch fell upon the prone figure of a man, washed up on the ground. He was tangled in the reeds and weeds of the waters edge.

"It's a holy man!" the man called out as he knelt at Miroku's side.

Miroku's teeth were gritted against the pain that wracked his body. He had none of the future medicine that Lady Kagome always kept handy and, he admitted now, it was a medicine he had come to depend on.

Was this it then? Was he doomed to die now?

The sound of more footsteps running and the light of more torches was suddenly all around him.

"Monk, what's wrong?" he heard someone ask but he couldn't bring the words to answer.

Whatever Naraku had done to the poison in those poisonous insects, it amplified the pain it caused him to heights he hadn't experienced before.

"He's gripping his arm." Someone called out.

"Let me examine it, good monk." the closest voice said.

"No!" Miroku shouted before he could touch him. "Leave my arm be! Don't touch it."

"Has he been possessed?" someone else asked.

"He's injured." the village headman announced. "We'll take him back to the village and treat him there. You four, go fetch something to carry the monk on."

"Yes, sir." four voices echoed before Miroku heard the sound of footsteps running away.

"What happened to you?" the headman asked, his voice calm and unafraid.

"Poison." Miroku forced out. "Insect...poison."

"Insect poison?" the headman repeated, he sounded a bit surprised. "You're certain?"

"Demon insect." Miroku nodded as the lightning hot pain shot up through his arm. What would happen when it reached his heart?

"Sir, will this do?" someone called out.

"Perfectly." the headman nodded once in approval. "Monk, don't worry. We'll take you back to the village and treat you there. Let us take of you."

Miroku tried to protest, to order then to leave him there.

Both his grandfather and his father had died from the cursed tunnel in their hands. It overwhelmed the power of the seal then sucked them in and collapsed causing a crater deeper than he was tall.

Miroku had no idea what would happen were he to die of anything other than the tunnel. He didn't know if the tunnel would cause a crater again when he did or if it would die with him. If the former, he would sooner die out here away from anyone he could hurt by taking with him.

But the words just couldn't battle their way out his throat past the pain.

And, feeling helpless and full of dread, Miroku felt them maneuver his body onto a solid length of wood then carry him back to their village.

To more people.


	23. Stench

**Stench**

"Sister Kikyo?" Keade said, surprised as the long dead priestess came into her hut.

"Keade." Kikyo greeted her though her eyes were on Sango who was glaring at her. "I didn't realize you had company."

"Sango and her companions typically stay in my home when they are in town." Keade wasn't about to apologize for it. She wasn't altogether that surprised to see her elder, though younger looking, sister here in the dead of night. It wasn't the first time she had gotten such a visit.

"Maybe I should come back later." the miko said, not looking away from Sango.

"No, please, come on in." Sango gestured, her face unfriendly. "Don't leave on my account."

"I wish to speak to my sister." Kikyo glared back at Sango. "Alone."

"Just pretend I'm not here." Sango smiled darkly.

"Now you two behave." Keade said sternly. "I'll have no such fighting in my home."

"Sorry, Keade." Sango looked down and away from Kikyo.

"Forgive me." Kikyo looked at her sister. Though technically born after her, Kikyo could no longer think of Keade as her 'younger' sister. For all that she was born later in life, Keade had still lived through more years of it than Kikyo had. And the lined and ancient face was a constant reminder to her that she was dead and life had moved on without her.

"What did you want to speak of?" Keade asked, gesturing for her sister to come in as she yawned wide, her jaw popping from the effort of it.

"Are you tired?" Kikyo asked.

"You should sleep." Sango suggested with a true smile. "That was some impressive spell work earlier. It must have taken quite a lot out of you. Then you helped with my hands. You really deserve some sleep."

"I'm sure I have it in me to converse with my sister." Keade said though she looked uncertain. That fire spell really had been strong and Keade was no longer in the prime of her life.

"Sleep." Kikyo ordered. "Denying yourself rest is as good as poisoning yourself."

Keade nodded, agreeing with her. "Maybe you're are right."

"She is." Sango nodded. "You rest. I'll talk to Kikyo."

"Are you sure?" Keade eyed her carefully. Sango certainly hadn't been welcoming to her elder sister.

"Don't worry." Sango held up her injured hands. "I'm hardly in any shape to fight anyone. It'll be a peaceful conversation."

Her tired will power no match for their combined persuasion, Keade laid back.

"Sleep well, Keade." Sango smiled as she led the way out of the hut, Kikyo a step behind her.

Keade wasn't all that comfortable leaving the two of them alone but Sango was right. She was in no position to fight and Kikyo wouldn't be so cruel as to hurt an injured person. And, more than anything, Keade _was _tired. Even as she was laying back she could feel sleep pulling at her mind, urging her to give into it.

Outside, Sango and Kikyo walked a fair distance from the hut before Kikyo spoke.

"I have nothing to say to _you_, slayer." were the harshly tossed out words.

"Yeah?" Sango looked unaffected. "Well, I'm not all that keen on listening to you either. However, Keade saved my life today so I owe her. Why did you come anyway?"

Kikyo glared at her as the two of them stopped. "As if you don't know."

"No, I really don't." Sango raised her hands. "In case you haven't noticed, I've been dealing some really important things lately."

"Naraku's work?" Kikyo asked, looking at the bandaged appendages.

"A couple demons he hired." Sango shrugged not bothering to go into the full story.

"Here." Kikyo reached out and pulled the injured limps into her hands before Sango could stop her. A moment later, Sango felt a delightfully cool feeling soothing the scorched flesh as a pulsing, beautiful pink light began emanating from Kikyo's hands.

"Thank you." Sango's voice was quiet as Kikyo worked. She had to remind herself that, in life, Kikyo had been a kind and powerful priestess. Helping people was probably second nature to her.

"It's not too bad." she answered. "Keade did well bandaging them herself."

"She's a good priestess." Sango nodded. "Not as strong as you were...are...you know what I mean."

Kikyo nodded once, showing she did understand and Sango realized with a start that, in Keade, she and Kikyo had found a common ground to stand on.

"So, why are you here?" she asked much gentler than she had before.

Kikyo didn't respond immediately. She finished her work first. When she finally released her, Sango could move her fingers without pain again.

"You should leave the bandages on until morning but they should be fine by then." she said, not answering the question.

"Thank you." Sango repeated genuinely as she turned her fingers, looking them over.

"I actually wanted to talk about Kagome." Kikyo very nearly whispered as she looked back at the darkened hut her sister called home. "Keade is very helpful about such things."

"Oh..." Sango said, drawing out the single syllable. That explained it. "Listen, I was told I was wrong in the way I went about telling you about...you know. So, I'm sor-"

"Forget it." Kikyo cut her off. "I would have done the same thing were it me."

"What, you're a cold heartless bitch too?" Sango smiled then her face fell. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Forget it." Kikyo said again, smiling just a bit as well. As a dead, heartless woman, the words weren't untrue. "Anyway, why are you here alone? Where are the others?"

"Well, me and Miroku were separated." Sango held up her hands, telling her how without words. "And Kagome and Inuyasha should be back in her world."

"Should be?" Kikyo caught the words.

Sango gave a little half shrug. "Things are just...odd. I'm afraid that, maybe...This just isn't the place for a pregnant girl right now. Especially not among us."

Kikyo nodded once, agreeing with her. "Does Naraku know about...you know?" she just couldn't really say the words. The pain was just too fresh.

"I hope not." Sango laughed once. "I was going to go to the well tomorrow, make sure everything was okay just to appease my own paranoia."

"Then?"

"Then I was going to go look for Miroku." Sango sighed as she turned to look into the distance. "He's strong and can handle himself, I know. But still...I worry about him."

"You love him." Kikyo said. It wasn't a question.

Sango blushed as she looked down at the ground in front of her. She didn't deny it.

Kikyo made a split second decision. "I will go with you."

"What?" Sango looked up, surprised. "Why?" she couldn't help but blurt out.

"I will wait by the well." Kikyo said, not answering the question. The truth of it was, she wasn't entirely certain. She had come to ask Keade about Kagome, about whether or not the girl could make Inuyasha happy, ask about the pregnancy. Ask if he was happy with things as they were. But, perhaps, she would get better answers from Sango, the girl who was such a close friend with her reincarnation. "I cannot linger around the village. I doubt the villagers would welcome the sight of me."

"You'd probably be surprised." Sango smiled. "Inuyasha used to think the same thing. He's as much a a part of this village now as any of us. They're a very accepting people."

Kikyo smiled, thankful for that statement. "Still, I'll wait by the well for you."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome smelled the demon long before she saw it.

There weren't words to describe just what it smelled like.

She had smelled rotten eggs, skunk, both dead and alive, the stench from a broken sewer line, even the gut wrenching scent of hundreds of bodies decaying in the summer sun in a battlefield stained black with their dried blood.

And none of those were accurate to describe the odor that wafted to them on the breeze that, just moments ago had been crisp and clear.

It smelled rotten, rancid, somehow worse even than decay. It wasn't exactly a sharp odor, more like a consistence ebb and flow and stink that seemed to morph and change giving her nose no chance to get used to the smell and power past it. Both at once, it irritated her nose making her want to sneeze and made her stomach roll, nauseating, making her want to throw up. Her own body rejected it, treating it like a sickness it desperately wanted to get rid of.

"Kagome. I feel sick." Rin groaned, gripping her belly as her face turned just a bit green.

"Oh, man." Kagome felt the same but this mothering instinct that was just awakening demanded that she help the child first. Blushing just a bit, Kagome pulled her shirt off her back then wrapped it around Rin's face, tying it securely in the back. "Is that better, sweetie."

Rin nodded, moving her hands up and pressing the shirt into her face. It filtered the smell. The shirt smelled mostly of Kagome however that didn't stop the stench entirely.

Kagome held her own hand over her face, trying to block the smell and wishing she had something to cover her own nose with.

Which made her wonder how Sesshomaru was handling the smell.

She looked down from the high vantage point that Ah-Uhn had taken the pair of them to. Standing in his lord's shadow, Jaken was almost invisible. Sesshomaru, however, was clearly visible. He was still standing strong against the stink. Was he even breathing? Kagome couldn't tell. How long could a great demon like himself hold his breath. And if the odor was this powerful to her, how powerful was it to him? Would he even be able to survive breathing it in?

Kagome had a brief flashback to the first few days of her acquaintanceship with Inuyasha. Fighting a human man who used a bottle of cursed ink to call forth demons from his paintings. The strong smell of the ink wasn't enough to force Kagome to cover her nose, though it hadn't been a nice scent. It was, however, strong enough to bring Inuyasha down, making him dizzy and nauseous.

She highly doubted that Sesshomaru could bring this one down without help. But what could Kagome do? She was powerless without her arrows.

"Ah-Uhn!" Kagome leaned forward a bit, speaking to the dragon's left head. "Listen to me," she hoped the beast could understand language as Kirara did, "I need you to find me a bow and arrows. Can you find those?"

The two headed dragon didn't respond but to turn and began to fly away from the stink.

Hoping she wasn't just being a coward and turning to run for it, Kagome leaned turned from Sesshomaru and began scanning the ground for people, people who might have a bow and arrow.

Rin, straddling Ah-Uhn in front of her, didn't question her but she did join Kagome's search.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Where are they going?" Jaken asked from the ground as he watched the group fly away. "They better not be running!"

"Jaken." Sesshomaru silenced his aide with one word. It was better this way. They were out of his way, letting him do as he did best, defeating the weaklings who dared challenge him.

Then again, that scent had reached an overwhelming power. He no longer dared draw breath after one long inhale, drawing in as much air as he could. He would have to defeat the thing, whatever it was, fast. He didn't have to breath for a while, but he would have to breath eventually.

And, even not breathing, his sensitive sense still picked up enough of the smell to make his eyes water and threaten to buckle his knees.

Times like this, Sesshomaru realized that the very things that made him so powerful and unstoppable could very well turn out to be weaknesses.

However, Sesshomaru would never run from a fight, no matter how unpleasant it promised to be. If this was what this thing smelled like alive, he didn't want to smell it dead.

There was, though, the woman carrying a pup to think of. The appearance of such an incarnation of Naraku, one so specifically designed to cripple him, was obviously meant to get him out of the way so that he could get at Kagome.

And Kagome, carried his blood kin. Inuyasha was a complete and total ass, but the unborn babe in Kagome's womb was innocent of any crime both real and perceived.

Though Sesshomaru felt no affection for either of them, the concept alone was so ridiculous it was almost funny, it was his duty as her closest relative and leader of the pack to protect her, protect them both.

And if there was one thing Sesshomaru honored above all else, it was duty.

It was taking a while for the demon to get there. Perhaps, whatever it was, didn't run. More than likely it creeped or crawled or oozed it's way across a distance.

Whatever the case, the thing was in no hurry but Sesshomaru could be patient.

He tensed himself for the fight to come as he looked into the tree line of the clearing where the source of the scent came from.

He was ready for anything.

A pair of eyes flashed across from him.


End file.
